Phantom Noir
by Neross-qod
Summary: Detective Danny Phantom is facing his first big case, but is he up to the challenge? Will Danny fall to the plot formulating around him? Or will he solve the mystery before it's too late? And what if the truth is too much to take? AU Vlad/Danny by Neross
1. A Long First Day

Neross: Alright so I've kept you guys waiting for this one for quite awhile. My bad I'll admit. But hey, I've been busy as all hell. College sort of does that.

*Ahem*

ANYway, prepare to face my second Danny Phantom fic. Phantom Noir. I hope you all enjoy it and hopefully we'll all survive this experience together. And in case you guys HAVEN'T read my profile then I'll say it again. This idea was spurned by the story Chain Link Fences by another wonderful fanfiction writer. I insist you go read it. Just...y'know. AFTER you've read and reviewed THIS one.

Warning : This fanfiction may contain violence, inappropriate language, adult situations, SEXUAL situations, and general slashy goodness. Enjoy my sick little darlings.

Summary : When Private Investigator Danny Phantom started his career he had never intended for things to spiral so far out of control. Who knew having an investor could be this difficult? An AU Vlad/Danny fic by Neross

* * *

"I didn't ask for all this y'know. I wanted to be an astronaut. But NO! I had to get ghost powers. In what sick world does THAT make sense?" Danny ground out, gritting his teeth as he held out against the onslaught of power being tossed his way by one particularly upset spirit. Dressed for his job in a stylish white vest and black dress-shirt with matching white pants and shoes. His black fedora, something his secretary Tucker insisted he wear had long been tossed to the side as it impeded his vision and, to be quite frank, at this moment he REALLY needed to see.

What with meat flying at him from all directions. His stylish loafers, something he'd actually splurged on, scuffed as he dodged around the side of the table he was hiding behind to shoot a blast of ecto-energy at what could only be described as a mass of meat. Although, true, it had been a kindly looking little old lady a minute ago Danny was no longer considering taking it easy on her. Not with her screaming at him about somebody changing the menu or something along those lines. And certainly not with shish-kabob lodging itself in the wall just inches from his nice brand new $250 dollar shoes. Damnit he was NOT losing another pair of shoes due to haphazard flying meat.

Doing a roll Danny burst from the side of the table, his ghostly white hair whipping around his face as he used the surprise of the moment to take aim and fire away at the lunch lady gone monster mystery meat surprise. One, two, three hits, and there went the arms, legs, and torso of the beast. And, without waiting for her to recover Danny quickly pulled out his ace. A soup thermos that he knew captured ghosts within it's confines and held them there until he could figure out just what was to be done about them.

Quick as lighting the possessed meat disappeared within the vacuum of the thermos and with a snap the private investigator sealed the lid shut tight. With a sigh of relief Danny let himself slide down the wall of the old abandoned high-school. a tiny cloud of dust rising as his butt collided with the floor. Running a hand through his hair which changed from white to black in the blink of an eye the 23 year old man stared up at the ceiling blankly, feeling exhausted.

And to think. This was his first real job. Ha! The words of his sister ran through his head and nearly made him let out a laugh. ' The first case is always the hardest. It'll get better.'.

"Somehow I get the feeling that's not the case in this line of work..." he muttered, staring at the thermos in his hand, feeling with a certain kind of dread that he knew this would probably be one of his easier commissions.

* * *

Danny, his outfit returned to it's normal scheme, black vest, white shirt, black pants...black shoes....white hat, stumbled back into his office his tan over-coat slung over his shoulder. His feet feeling like lead, his new-found weight of responsibility feeling even heavier. And it was at that moment when his best friend and secretary bounded into view. Bright red suspenders flashing, dark pin-stripe pants hitched up high, a bright red beret nearly flying off his head Tucker Foley looked excited and eager. The exact opposite of how Danny was feeling at that exact moment.

"So how was it?!" Tucker asked readjusting his hat and tapping his foot impatiently, his shoes a twin pair of Danny's own.

Danny couldn't help himself he smirked and took an extra amount of time hanging up his hat and coat in the closet conveniently located next to the front door of his office. "How was what?" he asked, feigning stupidity. He knew Tucker wasn't going to fall for it. And he knew it was stupid and sort of cliche' but somewhere in the back of his head he really just wanted to put off talking about it. Still he wasn't surprised to find Tucker glaring at him when he turned around, his arms crossed over his chest actually making his nerdy frame look slightly more buff, mostly due to his rolled up sleeves than anything else.

Danny rolled his eyes and shoved his hands into his pockets assuming a rather irritated sort of posture. "It went like hell that's how it went. That 'sweet little ghost who just sort of floats here and there? ' She goes ballistic and tries to kill me with meat. Meat! Like I'm a vegetarian or something. Took me thirty minutes to take her out. THIRTY MINUTES. And you know what I had to put up with during that stretch of time?" And at this Danny hitched up his voice and made himself look as much like a bloated pile of meat as possible.

" 'SOMEbody changed the MENU. It's SUPPOSED to be MEATLOAF DAY. The MENU'S been the same for FIFTY YEARS. The MENU this...the MENU that.' " And with that Danny handed Tucker the occupied Thermos and shuffled off toward the stairs toward his meeting room and nice comfy arm-chair in his dad's old off-center. As he did he called back instructions over his shoulder. "Make sure you put that somewhere safe. Preferably somewhere where I won't have to see it. And not anywhere near the fridge." he added a bit more nasty than he meant.

Tucker followed him, a wry grin on his lips despite his friend and employer's attitude. "Hey cheer up dude, the first job's always the hardest. And you did manage to catch her I'm sure that'll be good news for my paycheck. And if that's not enough to burst your oh-so-surly mood..." and this last part he added with a wicked sort of snicker. "Your GIRLfriend's waiting for you upstairs. The RICH one with the pigtails and the awesome as-"

"Sam is NOT my girlfriend Tucker. She's my lawyer. And I'm pretty sure that if you finish that sentence she'll slap you with a sexual harassment lawsuit fast enough to make your head spin. " Danny interrupted, blushing slightly despite himself. It was true that he had been attracted to Sam once upon a time. When he was young and still so hopeful of achieving his dreams. But that had all ended after he'd gotten his powers.

Thank God he'd had his parents there for support. He still didn't know what he would have done if they hadn't been there to help him gain control of his abilities and make them work FOR him instead of against him. They'd even let him take over they're old lab and home and turn it into his home/office after they'd gotten that grant from Harvard and had moved out East. Any other support he'd gotten from Tucker and Sam, and of course his ever insightful sister but it didn't make things easier.

He'd had to give up his dream on being an astronaut, since other priorities had risen after his powers had developed. So he'd gotten his license as a private investigator instead. And Tucker and Sam, forever loyal, had done they're part to help him. Tucker, with his uncompromised computer and tech skills and Sam with her legal know-how. However, Danny couldn't help but feel as if he'd been robbed of his dream and thus had somehow robbed his friends of theirs.

He abandoned the thought however and turned back to Tucker with curiosity. "So what'd Sam come down for? Wasn't she supposed to be working on that case in Oregon with her firm?"

Tucker merely grinned and shrugged. "Brought somebody back with her. Figured it must've been another job. Looks like something good too. Guy was dressed like money."

Danny gave Tucker a sort of reproachful glance before shaking his head and bounding up the rest of the stairs. Leaving Tucker behind to take care of the newly acquired ghost. To his surprise Tucker had been telling the truth it wasn't just Sam's voice coming through the door but the soft baritone of a man as well. Curiosity getting the better of him Danny stood before the door as silent as a specter and merely listened in to what the two were saying.

"It is quite a generous offer."

"Of course it is. You will be accepting it won't you? I'd be deeply surprised...and disappointed if you didn't."

"Well, as generous as it is I still have to ask for Danny's permission first."

Danny blinked, he wasn't quite sure what they were talking about, but it sounded deeply suspicious. Of course that was probably his paranoia talking.

"Yes, yes. I wouldn't dream of proceeding without Mr. Fenton's full consent. You still haven't told me when I will be meeting the young detective by the way Ms. Manson."

"I'm sure he'll be back soon. I've spoken to his assistant Tucker and it seems that Danny was away on a job at the moment. He should be returning soon though."

"Well I hope so. I do hate to be kept waiting. And I am VERY intent on seeing this ...venture of mine...come to fruition."

For some reason that very intent behind the man's voice sent a shiver down Danny's spine. Shaking it off and composing himself as casually as he could he rolled his shoulders and took a knock at the door. The conversation stopped and Sam's clear voice rang out cheerily from behind the tinted glass. "Come in!"

Danny opened the door to his office space and found himself staring almost blankly. The man whom Sam had been talking to was gorgeous. He didn't know why that was what struck him first about the man but several other words quickly spiked into his head to describe him. Rich, powerful, mysterious, and dangerous. He didn't know why the last one popped into his head either but he was sure it was true. The man was dressed from head to foot in a stylish black suit that greatly accentuated his tall lean frame. Clean-cut white hair was pulled back into a long ponytail over his shoulder and Danny found himself staring into a set of commanding steel-blue eyes.

Shaking off the frozen moment took only one second longer to register that said man was leaning against his desk with all the authority in the world and held a elegant black cane in his hands, despite the fact that he couldn't have been older than his late-thirties...at least by his looks.

Thankfully Sam saved him any embarrassing questions or introductions by introducing the man leaning on his desk. HIS by the way, though the man was acting as if it and everything in the room really belonged to HIM.

"Danny. This is Vlad Masters. "

THAT snapped Danny out of it, he whipped around to stare at Sam, his expression a sort of shocked serious. "The billionaire? You're joking." Danny couldn't help the slight smirk that wormed it's way up to his lips. THE Vlad Masters here? In his small pathetic office? Yeah right. What a laugh.

"Most fortunately for you Daniel your lovely friend is, in fact, telling the truth. I am THE Vlad Masters. Billionaire extraordinaire and entrepreneur, come here to your...quaint....little office to offer you a deal." The man spoke, a wry grin of his own spreading quickly across his features. Though, when he did it, it gave Danny the chills.

Danny stared blankly at him for a moment before at last taking a couple steps toward the other man. Regarding him for a moment before at last resigning to this one lone, sad, fact and tucked his hands into his pockets as he posed his next question calmly and rather in a voice he reserved when working with clients. "What sort of deal may I ask Mr. Masters."

Vlad grinned, pointed canines flashing as he stood from his leaning position upon Danny's desk, showing that he was actually a bit taller that Danny and, much to Danny's chagrin, a bit broader of chest. "Oh please Daniel. We're both grown men here...you may call me Vlad. "

Danny bristled, he couldn't help it, it felt very much like he was being challenged. "Alright...Vlad. What sort of deal are you offering me?" Danny asked again, his tone a bit more brisk as his gut began to tell him something was a bit off about this billionaire.

Vlad ignored the tone in Danny's voice and merely walked over to him and placed a hand upon his shoulder steering Danny toward one of the many windows which surrounded the odd off-center turned office. Sam, not one to be left out followed, although surely only to listen in Danny knew that if asked later Sam would say she did to make sure Danny didn't say something stupid that could have ruined the whole thing.

"My dear boy...I have always loved the town of Amity Park. And over the years of living here and there I have come to deeply miss my old home town. But more importantly I have come to miss the history that surrounds our dear home. And by that of course...I mean it's more sordid history. " At this the older man turned toward Danny with an odd sort of gleam in his eye and Danny found himself feeling uncomfortably close to this mysterious man who so suddenly dropped into his life.

"Forgive me for asking...but what does all this have to do with me and my business?" Danny asked, trying to steer the conversation back to a place that felt comfortable.

Vlad merely seemed amused, "Why everything my dear boy. Your whole industry is based on Amity Park's own dark history. A detective like you Daniel is unique. Specializing in the super natural and most importantly...GHOSTS. The lost souls of Amity Park citizens long since gone from the world. Just think of all the history you could learn. All the stories of murder, love, betrayal, and inquiry. I find myself romanced by the idea of it my dear boy. So much so..." he added this last so quietly that Danny had no option but to lean in to hear it and the odd sort of energy that Vlad had worked up in his little speech was really sending shock-waves of suspicion down the half-ghost's spine.

It sounded like Vlad was a little TOO interested in ghosts. And not the way his parents were obsessed. No...they way he talked about them it was almost as if he were talking about his family, loving and hateful at the same time and filled with a burning sort of desire that had Danny's hair standing on end. And then at last Vlad leaned in and whispered the last of his sentence into Danny's ear, tearing him from his thoughts.

"So much so Daniel...that I'd be more than willing to fund this little enterprise of yours for life...so long as you grant me full access to any and ALL spirits that you keep here within your building."

Danny gingerly pulled himself away, unable to shake the feeling that he was being played with, like a bird lured in by the eyes of a snake. A cold chill had worked it's way into his body and now all he wanted was to find the quickest way to boot this man from his office. Unfortunately, in Daniel's panic-addled brain, he could only think of agreeing to Vlad's request to get him out of there.

So, probably despite himself, Danny, looking a bit out of sorts...feeling even more so, nodded at first and then cleared his throat and said to the room at large. "Your deal is very generous Mr. Masters."

"Vlad." the flaxen-haired man reminded him, looking like a cat who'd just drunk a whole tub of cream. "And I should say it is. So why hesitate my dear Daniel. Ms. Manson and I have already drawn up all the paperwork...all we need is your signature." Vlad gestured to Sam but his eyes remained fixed upon Danny's, something which unnerved the private investigator even further.

"I...I uh..." Danny stuttered his brain faltering, fighting the idea of agreeing to this deal,(which sounded just a bit sinister when Vlad said it),despite the deep feeling that he had no choice but to agree. "I'm just not sure-"

"But of course you are my boy!" Vlad interrupted, a little TOO cheerfully, quickly handing him a clipboard with a neat little form attached to it where a neat little 'x' at the bottom urged him to sign even though his heart and gut told him it was wrong. "Just sign at the bottom and both our problems will be solved!" Vlad urged, his voice sounding just a bit breathless and all too eager.

As if compelled Danny's free hand hung open as if waiting for a pen, and suddenly one was there, though he had no idea how it had gotten there. And even though he lowered it to the paper his hand shook in indecision. "Sign it." Someone whispered furiously. And then, as if possessed, Danny's hand swept across the paper and there it was. His name for all to see in curvy and slightly thin cursive writing.

And just as quickly the paper was gone and Vlad was exclaiming. "Excellent! Well my dear boy it seems that we shall be seeing quite a good deal of one another from now on. I do hope you treat me kindly." And Vlad held out a hand for Danny to shake.

Danny stared at him for a moment. First his cold steel-blue eyes, and then at that hand before nervously he took it in his own and found the grip to be strong and possessive. "I hope to be calling upon you soon I expect. But for now I think I shall leave you to celebrate your good fortune as I will mine. Come along Ms. Manson." And with that Vlad swept out of Danny's office, pulling a reluctant Sam along with him as he went. Leaving Danny feeling flustered and rather as if he'd suddenly and violently been hit.

Danny stood there for a long while until at last he went to his window and crushed his forehead against the glass and muttered out in a shaky voice which contained a slight hint of fear and more than a bit of frustration. "Why do I feel as if I just sold my soul to the devil?"

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Neross: Well there you go. That's all I've got for Chapter 1 so far. Feel free to leave me a review as I highly appreciate them and don't forget to check back in with me soon for Chapter 2.

And for you loyal fans who follow my other series don't worry I'll be posting on them soon. I've got quite a few things lined up in store. Not to mention a few requests to keep me busy so it looks like you guys will be hearing quite a bit more from me in the future.

This has been your lovely, lustrous and magnificently evil Neross. Please come again for more of my sweet torture.


	2. In the Dark

Neross: Alright my sweet sick little children I've come back with chapter two! Don't you feel special? I do hope you enjoy it because things are really going to start getting hot. I'm building the tension higher and higher my dear lovelies so be good and read on hmmm?

Warning: This fanfiction may contain violence, inappropriate language, adult situations, SEXUAL situations, and general slashy goodness. Enjoy my sick little darlings.

...................

Danny might have been able to accept the events of the day before as a dream. He might have. If it weren't for the fact that the next day he was revisited by the ghost of the previous day's disastrous events. His day had been going fine enough. The headache he'd developed the day before had vanished after a good night's rest and Tucker had decided to sleep in. So for once he was alone at breakfast with a quiet cup of coffee and the last of the toaster waffles, something he normally had to fight Tucker over.

So things were looking up by the time he was dressed and busy addressing the paperwork from his last case. He was even beginning to think that yesterday really HAD been just some strange dream his subconscious had inspired and was generally convinced that the day was going to be a good day....until he set about to checking his bank account.

He was expecting the payment from his last job to have been deposited sure. But as it only paid a little over seven thousand dollars he was not expecting to see much of a debt in his finances. That was not, however, what was waiting for him. Instead Danny had to fight to keep from spitting out the coffee he'd been drinking. On top of that seven thousand dollars he had been expecting was a whopping five hundred thousand he had not been expecting to see. In fact, he was sure it was a mistake until he checked the transfer records and accounted for the gross excess.

The Dalv group, otherwise known as Vlad Masters' multi-billion dollar company. And slowly Danny set down his half-empty cup of coffee and leaned back in his chair as he stared at the computer screen before him. He took several deep breaths and then rubbed the area between his eyes as he fought the returning headache from the day before.

Not only wasn't it a dream, but now he somehow had to come up with an idea for how to deal with half a million dollars. He supposed that this amount of money was like a drop in the bucket for Masters due to the trillions of dollars he raked in each year...but still. This was a bit TOO generous.

He had only just begun to set down a ledger for how best to use this ....immense gift...when Tucker came wandering in, his hand tucked into his pin-striped pants, looking slightly out-of-sorts. Danny looked up over his screen at his friend and assistant before turning back to the accounts to tally up the numbers even before Tucker explained himself.

"Uh...Danny. I checked the accounts ..."

Danny winced but didn't look up from his screen, he'd already known this was coming. "Yeah I know. I've seen it too...do you think I should invest in forensic equipment? I mean we've still got the ghost equipment from Mom and Dad but d'you think we should look into getting some actual physical evidence stuff too? I mean I've got no idea how to use them and I'm not sure if I really want to be doing murder investigations or drug busts....but it might be a good idea to spread out. Or would that be over-reaching my abilities?"

Tucker blinked a bit at the calm way that Danny was dealing with their sudden fortune. "Well, I think we might want to look into getting a receptionist or hiring a cleaning service before we look into something like that. But seriously Danny, why is DALV paying us half a million dollars? You didn't get involved in corporate espionage when my back was turned did you?"

Danny rose an eyebrow at the comment and actually looked around his monitor to send Tucker a disbelieving look. "C'mon Tucker you know I wouldn't get involved in something like that..."

"But then why do we-?" Tucker began.

Before he could finish however Danny went into the details of the day before, hoping that if he blurted it out it might sound just a tiny bit more believable. It didn't. Tucker stared at him as if he'd suddenly grown a second head. For a second he opened and shut his mouth in succession, reminding Danny very clearly of a fish out of water, before at last he stuck a hand to his forehead as if thinking a little too hard on trying to put together a highly difficult puzzle. Which, Danny mused, it probably was.

"So THE Vlad Masters is funding our dumpy little investigation operation?"

"Pretty much, yeah." Danny replied, Tucker didn't seem to have heard him though as he plowed right on.

"And now he's going to be shelling out money like this for LIFE so long as he gets access to our ghosts?"

"Yeah that's right Tucker but I think you're really missing-"

"And you didn't tell me about this WHY?" Tucker asked, finally coming to his point.

Danny rolled his eyes before grinning and pushed away from his desk. "Well you know now. So...how do YOU think we should spend the money?"

Tucker grinned as well and pulled his beret a bit lower on his forehead, shading his eyes a bit in an attempt to look a bit cooler. "Well, I personally think we could use a particularly juicy secretary. Think that Paulina girl from high school would be willing?"

Danny smirked and snorted a bit in laughter. "Paulina would be a terrible secretary and you know it. Sorry bud but you're stuck with that title. But we could probably use an accountant. That old girlfriend of yours still great with numbers?"

Tucker turned a bit red in the face and took on an indignant look. "That's my CURRENT girlfriend thank you. And yeah...she is. I'll give her a call later. But in the meantime Danny I want to think about one thing we could SERIOUSLY use around here."

Danny went back to the screen, already tallying up how much of a salary he'd need to hire Valerie Gray, Tucker's math-wise girlfriend, and no longer really listening as he knew it was just his friend messing around.

"A seriously awesome car. We could trick it out and call it the 'Phantom Mobile'. Come on...you know you want to get it. Babes dig cool cars."

Danny merely chuckled and began thinking about finally buying that pair of night-vision binoculars he'd seen on the net when he'd first begun his venture into the detective business. "We'll see Tucker..."

"Well...it's good to see that my money is being spent wisely."

Danny jumped, fighting the urge to let his eyes shift to their unnatural green as an all so familiar voice rolled over him like a bucket of ice-water down his spine. He looked up from his computer slowly, using the time to calm himself down and to prepare for what was to come. And then he met the steel-blue gaze of Vlad Masters, standing behind Tucker looking as if were merely out for a stroll his cane tucked under his arm. For a second Danny felt sorry for Tucker who had been so shocked by Vlad's sudden entrance that he had turned a shade of green and had set one of his suspenders flying out of place.

But the brief moment of pity was gone because Danny was all too aware that Vlad was not paying attention to Tucker. His eyes were locked on Danny's. And the way he was watching Danny was too fierce, too possessive for the detective's liking, but perhaps it was only in Danny's imagination because he blinked and the older man was grinning in a friendly way. And with the most friendly tone in the world he waltzed himself in and stood before Danny's desk and the detective himself felt compelled to stand, if only to seem polite, though in his haste he appeared more eager than he felt.

Vlad merely smiled a bit mysteriously and waited patiently as Danny offered him the chair set before his desk. Vlad sat with all the elegance of a large predator and despite himself Danny watched in a mixture of fascination and calculation. Danny sat down once more and shot Tucker a look that had him running back out the door. Then, at last, Danny turned back to his guest with a growing sort of nervous dread. But Vlad was still sitting there smiling as pleasantly as before his hands crossed over the handle of his dark cane.

Danny cleared his throat afraid that when he spoke his voice would come out hoarse before at last he addressed his new investor. "So ...Vlad..." Danny hesitated on his name, still not comfortable referring to a man several years older than him by his first name. "May I ask what brings you here so early today? Were there some papers I missed signing?" Danny asked in an attempt at humor that had Vlad chuckling a bit, but otherwise a bit less amused by the nervous joke the detective had made.

"No my boy all the paperwork was taken care of yesterday. I have merely come today to ask a favor of you." And at this Vlad reached into his pocket and pulled out a flyer for the Amity Park museum of natural history. Danny raised an eyebrow but already he'd entered the mode of a hired investigator talking to a client. After all, he was sure that Vlad's 'favor' would most likely turn out to be a job rather than a real favor.

But still in order to be polite, Danny posed the same necessary questions. "A favor involving the museum? I didn't think the place was haunted. I haven't heard anything about it anyway if it is." Danny commented not wanting to insult the man who'd just shot five hundred thousand into his bank account.

Vlad merely smirked at him in a knowing way over the top of his cane and seemed a bit smug. "Neither have I dear boy. Not about the building itself in any case. But I've heard there's been a recent donation of a fifteenth century amulet which is said to be cursed. The donation was made anonymously and most unfortunately the previous owner has simply dropped off the face of the earth...now as a generous patron to the museum over the years I of course found this mysterious amulet to be quite....intriguing. " And then Vlad gestured toward Danny with a wave of his hand and generous sort of smile. "Which is where you come in my dear boy. The curator, charming man, has allowed me access to this cursed artifact and, since I have recently entered into a deal with you detective, I was hoping you might accompany me. After all you are the expert when it comes to ghost sleuthing and if the amulet truly is cursed or ...haunted as I truly suspect. Than who better to bring along?"

Vlad's cheerful and endearing way of inviting Danny to dog along after him on this venture of his was not too pleasing to the private investigator. But Danny was already sure that this was not truly a request but more of an order. And although Danny had little faith in the billionaire's ghost detecting skills he was sure that it wouldn't kill him to just look at the stupid thing. And what's more, there was something in Vlad's eyes that made it hard for Danny to say no.

So slowly Danny set down the bright flyer Vlad had handed him and nodded his agreement. "Alright. I don't see the harm in checking it out. "

"Excellent!" Vlad exclaimed coming to his feet in a swift and fluid movement that Danny watched at first before following a bit slower on his own. "Well then my boy....shall we go?"

* * *

It was only slightly surprising to Danny that Vlad had had a car waiting for them. And it had only been a tiny bit MORE surprising when the 'car' turned out to be a limo. The ride itself had been silently pleasant though Danny couldn't shake the odd shivers he'd developed around the billionaire, no matter how nicely he smiled. And since it wasn't Danny's first trip in a limo he thought he'd kept his awe to a minimum. Though he hadn't been able to keep himself from stretching out as much as possible within the length of the limo's backseat.

When at last they arrived to the museum it was Vlad who left the car first, the driver holding the door open for him. And Danny couldn't help but feel awkward as he climbed out as well. He muttered an awkward sort of thank you to the driver before bounding up the stairs after Vlad who was already quite a bit ahead of him. The curator they found waiting at the door. A tall, dumpy, and balding middle-aged man the curator smiled at them both in a tired sort of way. He held the door open for them both and let it shut silently after them. And for a reason he couldn't explain Danny felt a feeling of foreboding as it shut soundlessly behind him.

"A pleasure to see you again Mr. Masters. You'll be glad to know that the Ancient Egyptian wing will be finished on schedule." The curator began with a smile, tucking his hands behind his back in a refined way as he led them through the halls of the quiet museum, currently empty of people save for themselves and those who had passed on ages ago.

Vlad smiled, his cane echoing loudly off the walls as he walked, reminding Danny all too clearly of how alone they really were. "That is good news Mr. Lancer. It is such a pleasure to hear my investments are coming to bear fruit." The billionaire replied and somehow Danny thought that the comment was about himself more than the egyptian exhibit that Vlad was funding. "Speaking of which Mr. Lancer I'd like to introduce you to my newest acquaintance. Detective Danny Fenton. Quite a remarkable young man. Hunts ghosts you see. Danny, this is Mr. Lancer the curator for the museum. I do hope you two will get along."

Mr. Lancer seemed to lose a step at the mention of the word 'ghosts' and visibly appeared a bit worried. "Ghosts? My lord Mr. Masters you can't think that the amulet we've acquired is haunted can you?" he asked wringing his tie nervously. Danny couldn't help but find the old man harmlessly amusing in a way. The man was no doubt good at his job. Sensible. Probably would have made a great teacher if he'd been given the chance.

Vlad on the other hand simply chuckled a bit and waved his hand as if passing off his own comment. "It's just a hobby of mine my friend. I'm sure there's nothing wrong with the piece. It is genuine after all. If it didn't have a few rumors floating around it I'd be worried of it's authenticity. " Danny nodded in agreement when Lancer turned for him with a nervous look of confirmation. It was true. Anything that's old and valuable ended up with a few rumors of being haunted. Most rumors turned out be false though so there really was nothing behind them most of the time.

Relieved for the moment the curator tried his best to put on a happy face once more though his tone was still nervous as he led them down a restricted hallway to a door marked 'storage'. "Of course. Of course. In any case it is quite an exceptional piece if I might say so myself. We've confirmed it as a piece from the Irish royalty during their brief reign over Britain. Excellent craftsmanship and beautiful engravings. I have no doubt you will appreciate it's quality Mr. Masters."

Vlad nodded pleasantly but it was quite clear now that he was merely abiding the curator's small talk and appeared somewhat bored and impatient. Something which Danny thought a bit odd...suspicious even. But not enough for him to give up and simply go home. After all the curator was going on a bit more than he needed to and even Danny was growing rather bored. And Danny didn't really blame Vlad as he tapped his foot impatiently when the man took quite a while to find the correct key to the door.

When at last they entered Danny found himself a bit in awe of the place. For such an organized place on the outside the inside of the storage seemed a bit helter-skelter. There were rows made out of wooden crates labeled in terms that Danny didn't really have the time to decipher. Every now and then there would be a hint of something, such as a suit of mid-evil armor here, a sarcophagi there. And once there was even something that looked like a scepter. But as it was not what he had come to see, and as he was trying to keep up with the other two who were having a much easier time navigating through the maze of antiques than he was, he ignored it and moved on.

And then at last Mr. Lancer stopped them before a glass display case propped up on a table, some rather interesting looking tools as well as several different magnifying glasses lay scattered about it as if everyone had just suddenly abandoned their posts. And in the middle of the glass case, looking quite innocent in and of itself was the amulet. A thick gold chain that encased a large and eerily bright green gem.

"Now where has everyone gone off to?" the curator muttered looking about for the museum workers who obviously weren't there. Danny however couldn't take his eyes off of the gem and he knew exactly why. The thing was obviously haunted. It wasn't the eerie glow it gave off. It wasn't because the thing was green. It was because of the chills that were going down Danny's spine just at the sight of it. The necklace felt...WRONG. It felt as if it were watching him like a single glowing green eye, like a snake's eye. Oh yeah...the necklace was definitely haunted.

Surprised that Vlad had been right in his first hunch Danny turned to convey his conclusion to his new financier, and met with something more unnerving than the haunted necklace before him. Vlad was gazing at him, a knowing smile fixed upon his aristocratic features. "So..." Vlad began waving a hand in the direction of the amulet, "Tell us your conclusion detective. In your professional opinion...is this piece possessed by a spirit?"

Danny fought back the shiver that went down his spine and instead turned toward the amulet, reaching out to it as if to anchor him to reality. However, as he touched the glass the gem flared a bright vibrant green and the light's snuffed out as if someone had blown them all out like candles. In the darkness the amulet glowed brighter than ever and from it's depths the reptilian eye Danny had compared the gem to showed itself bright and blinking, staring at Danny and focusing on him like he was bait. Then, like smoke from an ember a great reptile rose from the gem, spreading it's wings in a smoky resemblance to a great, big, green dragon. Then, as quickly as it appeared the dragon melted away into the sad facade of a young blonde woman dressed like a royal woman of some ancient time.

She raised her head and sad eyes peered out at the three men present with a pleading sadness, her hands held out before she reached out toward Danny as if she were reaching out for a life-raft. "Please..." she said, her voice like an eerie echo in the night...only a reflection of what once was. "...I just wanted to go to the ball...but my horrid mommy won't let me. I just wanted to go to the ball." and then she was gone, melting into the necklace's bright green gem as if she never were.

Danny hoped it was over, prayed that that was it, he really didn't want to fight a dragon. Even if it WAS a ghost dragon. But the light's stayed off. And in the darkness a breath of cold air escaped from behind his lips. "Shit..." Danny muttered under his was only thing that could mean. Either the dragon girl wasn't done...or there was another ghost amongst the relics that had now been disturbed.

A flash of light and Danny's humanity faded away leaving his suit, hair, and eyes inverted in color. The darkness faded a bit, but only around Danny the rest of the storage room remain drenched in a darkness so complete that other than the desk and the amulet the world was an empty space. Not even Vlad or the Curator could be seen in the space past the two feet of light his own ghostly glow provided. Warily Danny surveyed his surroundings before he at last called out. "Vlad? Mr. Lancer?" When only silence answered Danny growled in frustration and swung around back toward the amulet.

"Alright! Come out! Playing coy doesn't work on me! I know you're still here! It's not like I've suddenly gone blind after all! Who are you?" Danny snapped, directing his verbal assault toward the inanimate object that had started this whole trip in the first place.

"Well...since you asked so nicely." A deep baritone replied, not from the amulet before Danny, but from behind him. With an oath that was cut off as the wind was knocked out of him, Danny turned to face his attacker, and was met with a blow to the gut. Collapsing to the ground Danny coughed and attempted to catch what little breath he could as quickly as he could before whoever it was that had hit him hit him again. He'd barely gotten up to his feet when whoever or whatever it was lifted him and and pinned him to the wall behind the amulet. And again Danny found it hard to catch his breath, the force of hitting the wall having knocked it right out of him in an instant.

"Breathless already and we haven't even started...how disappointing." Danny gritted his teeth and stared up into the eyes of his aggressor with as furious a glare as he could muster. And considering the damage that had just been down to his ribs it was quite furious indeed. But Danny found himself faltering because the face that stared at him was just too strange for words. Red eyes distinct and full of evil intent against a pale blue face. Fangs, pointed and sharp shinned in the dark like the deadly pinpoints of a twin pair of needles. But all else was lost in the shroud of darkness that clouded the room. Still that face that grinned down at him, so full of knowing and so full of evil and twisted in glee stood out and ingrained itself in Danny's mind.

But the look of victory in that smile was what made Danny want to fight back more than he'd ever had in the past. "Who are you? What do you want?" Danny ground out his eyes narrowing in a glare even as he grabbed the wrists that pinned him in defense gripping back with all his strength as a cold sensation began to build within him.

"All in good time. But first I want to hear you scream." That baritone voice mocked it's tone so filled with a lust Danny didn't want to identify. Danny didn't wait to see what this ghoul would to to force a scream from him. And didn't hesitate to let a surge of ice flow forth from him creating a stream of ice that crawled it's way up his attacker's arms. "I don't think so..." the private investigator ground out. He broke the ghost's hold on him and landed a decent punch to that eerie leering face sending whoever it was back into the darkness. Danny's feet hit the ground and, just as suddenly as they'd gone out, the light's went back up. Danny only just had time to revert to his human half in time before either Vlad or the Curator saw his ghostly form.

While Vlad had not seemed to move and appeared merely a mixture of both irritated and worried, it was the Curator who had backed himself into a corner between a large crate and the wall, looking as pale as a ghost himself. Vlad turned to Danny first and seemed surprised to find Danny both out of breath and quite a deal bit farther away than he'd been when the light's had gone out. "My lord! Are you alright Daniel? You look ill! And how in the world did you get over there?" The billionaire asked striding quickly around the desk and the amulet to see to Danny who was holding his still aching ribs and seemed a good deal out of breath.

Danny turned toward the Curator and stated as firmly and as seriously as his aching ribs would allow. "Mr. Lancer...I think it's safe to say that your amulet's haunted. Oh and um...Vlad? Would you mind giving me a ride to the hospital? I think a second ghost. A much more powerful ghost....broke one of my ribs."

Vlad looked a bit stunned and the Curator looked at the amulet in a mixture of horror and absolute terror as if it would leap out of the glass and bite his hand off. However Danny had no time to worry about the middle-aged man as it was the billionaire demanding his attention, his expression worried and intense with a deadly curiosity. "Daniel...did you say...a SECOND spirit did this to you?"

Daniel winced as he attempted to make for the door and leave this unpleasant experience behind. "That's right Vlad...congratulations." And Danny turned and smiled a bit wryly and couldn't help the sarcasm that leaked into his voice. "You wanted to experience an encounter with a ghost...well you just got two for one. Lucky you."

* * *

Neross: Good Freaking LORD this took forever. No seriously FOREVER. It was like I had creative constipation or something. Ugh. Anyway this one was pretty lengthly but I hope you all stuck with me through to end.

Please leave me a review my dears. Constructive criticism encouraged. The more reviews I get the faster I update and all that. Though I do have other projects to work on so it might be a while until the next one...maybe. Now that I've finally got this story flowing again the next chapter is begging me for attention. Oh well. You'll let me know what you want won't you darlings?

This has been your lovely, lustrous, and magnificently evil Neross. Please come again for more of my sweet torture won't you?


	3. Chained

Neross: Well my sick little darlings I believe you've been waiting pretty long for this one haven't you? Aren't I a lovely little thing? Hint: say yes. Now my dear lovelies I've come back with Chapter three so let's get on with the show shall we?

Warning: This fanfiction may contain violence, violence, inappropriate language, adult situations, SEXUAL situations, and general slashy goodness. Enjoy my sick little darlings.

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Thankfully none of Danny's ribs had actually been broken by the attack he suffered at the museum that day. Though more than one had been bruised. Still the doctor that saw to him was rather confused. Not only by Danny's injuries but also at the speed of Danny's recovery.

One of the few things Danny had come to enjoy since acquiring his powers was his new innate ability to recover ten times faster than any normal human. Of course this meant that most Doctors wound up confused and considering going back to med-school but that wasn't something Danny really cared about.

After that little museum incident Vlad seemed to think it would be best to simply let Daniel recover for a couple of weeks. Which Daniel was grateful for. Though by the end of that first week Danny began to wonder why the billionaire hadn't come by to see him. Though that was quickly passed off as Danny assumed the man was simply too busy running his company to bother stopping by or worry about a small time detective he had on pay.

But in his downtime Danny received few jobs. Despite the news coverage he'd gotten over the haunted jewelry piece at the museum. The few jobs he HAD acquired had all been rather tame in comparison to his first two assignments. The most interesting being one concerning a rather comical and harmless old ghost haunting an old packaging warehouse.

So despite himself Danny began to think about his billionaire financier more and more. Often times he had to stop himself from picking up the phone and calling him. He simply couldn't help it. There were too many questions on his mind. How had Vlad known about the gem's haunted reputation? Why hadn't he gone through with his side of the contract and taken possession of the ghosts Daniel now had locked up in storage in growing numbers? And why was it that Vlad had not asked questions about Danny's fight with that second ghost?

Daniel tried to avoid thinking about that last question as much as possible. Mostly because it was the most prominent one on his mind. It also brought up the memory of that eerie, leering face in the dark which often had Danny waking up from nightmares filled with feelings he'd rather not explore. It wasn't until the flowers arrived at the beginning of the second week that Daniel's worries eased. And, despite the wise-cracks he'd gotten from Tucker about Vlad treating him like girl he'd like to lay, Danny rather appreciated the large bouquet Vlad had sent him as a get-well gift. The card had been rather tactful and calming in it's own way as well. It was small, white, and framed in an elegant leaf-gold ivy design with a short but encouraging message.

"Hope you're feeling better. I look forward to seeing you in one piece sometime soon. -Vlad"

True it was a bit odd to receive flowers from another man but Danny had never been big on gender roles. And honestly he just assumed one of Vlad's secretaries must have picked it out in Vlad's stead. Still, it was the thought that counts. And the thought kept Danny from re-living his nightmares for the next four days. But as the second week began to come to an end Danny once again began to think about those daunting questions.

Questions which only doubled in number when Vlad sent him an e-mail at the end of that week with a request. Apparently he'd heard of a ghost haunting the Amity Park zoo and wanted Danny to check it out for him. He added that he himself would not be able to accompany Danny due to business matters but would look forward to hearing about his experience.

The Detective in Danny screamed in response. Vlad was avoiding him? Why? Was it because of what happened at the museum? Had Vlad seen Danny transform? Maybe he'd been more scared than he'd let on? Had Danny insulted him somehow? Was Vlad hiding something? Why send a card saying he'd see him soon if he honestly wasn't?

So many questions swirled through Danny's head that it almost made him dizzy and when he went out to the zoo later that night his head was clouded with a mixture of suspicion and anger. Perhaps that is why things happened the way they did. Danny really wasn't sure. All he knew was that the zoo had been quiet and covered in an unnatural fog.

As he walked through the zoo, the odd-sounds of exotic animals filling the night air, Danny had let his mind wander. Vlad hadn't been too specific about the sightings he'd heard of, just mentions of a strange looking man lingering near the cage of the Liger the zoo was lucky enough to hold. At last Danny found the section of the zoo dedicated to the big cats and made his way past the large, open exhibits with the same air as someone might during the day.

The only difference Danny could see was just how active the large cats were since most were nocturnal. The cats followed Danny and watched him as he passed with curiosity. And it rather amused Danny at how, when he stopped to take a look at the panthers, they actually grew bored of him and turned to playing with one another. Danny smiled and forgot for a moment why he was there, simply enjoying watching these two large predators play as if they were house cats. Though when these two hissed or growled at one another it was quite a bit more threatening.

Still Danny couldn't help but be entranced by their dancing forms. Perhaps it was the grace in their movements or the way their eyes shined in the dark but Danny couldn't help but be amazed. And as he watched the larger of them take the high ground Danny was eerily reminded of Vlad, his knowing smirk floating into his mind unbidden. Danny shook the thought away. He shouldn't be thinking about that now. He was here to check out a claim, not daydream.

So Danny moved on. Past the tigers whose lean bodies rose from the water as he walked by. Past the lions, most of whom were the only ones still asleep, their only waking member keeping a lookout and watching him pass like a lone woman standing by a window in the night, keeping watch. Past the leopards, one of which actually growled at him as he passed and followed him as if he posed a threat to his mate who lingered in the branches of a tree, chewing on a bone. Until at last Danny came to the cage of the only cat left on it's own. The Liger named Samson.

Like all other Ligers Samson had been bred in captivity by humans and due to his hybrid nature was sterile. Having been taken away from his neglectful owner the young predator had been taken in by the Amity zoo. The zoo, however, could not keep him with other cats and so he was forced to stay on his own. In his own enclosure. Which now had rumors of being haunted. Danny went over all this information as he watched the large feline eat it's dinner. Samson was large and an odd pale yellow, appearing nearly white in the few lights that remained on. And as Danny read on he was interested in learning how Samson's previous owner ( a world re-knowned hunter ) had died just after Samson had been handed over to the zoo.

"Is it the previous owner haunting the cage then?" Danny pondered allowed turning from the information plague to Samson who was now watching Danny with iridescent eyes. At that instant Danny felt a connection with the Liger. Samson was a hybrid like himself after all and burdened because of it. And here Samson was, separated from all other cats because he wasn't like them. The feline seemed lonely to him.

Danny smiled at the Liger and Samson stalked over near the class before flopping down in front of it, all the while watching the half-ghost with interest. "You're just like me aren't you?" Danny mused allowed.

And then a chill went down Danny's spine and a wisp of cold breath fell from his lips as someone's voice whispered into his ear. "He certainly is. One of a kind, just like you ghost boy."

Danny didn't get a chance to turn around as a flash of pain ripped through him like lighting and then...the world went black.

* * *

When Danny awoke he awoke in pain. His head was throbbing as was the back of his neck. His body felt heavy and groggy and despite his open eyes the world around him appeared dark. Danny became frighteningly aware that he had been bound with strong metal chains. Thankfully he didn't feel as if he were tied to a chair, still he was now sure his lack of sight was due to a blindfold. And without his eyesight Danny became aware of voices in the dark, voices that were cold though one was nasally and the other was deep. And although Danny couldn't see who the voices belonged too one sounded familiar and both sounded too close for comfort.

"He is quite the specimen. "

"Yes he is. It feels like a shame to let you use him for your experiments. "

"And what would you have done with him? Kept him in a cage. Please Skulker, you are a hunter not a zoologist. "

"I suppose you're right . Still it would be a shame to kill him."

The one with the nasally voice laughed Danny became aware of the sound of machinery and electricity as if his ears had suddenly been cleared. "If he even can die."

Danny shuddered and at last found he'd had enough of this. He wasn't going to let anyone experiment on him. Although he couldn't see it a white ring formed around his middle and flowed over his body, leaving him in his ghost form. With minimal effort Danny phased out of his bonds and tore off his blindfold to face his captures. He grit his teeth at the sight. Two ghosts, one obviously an intellectual with dark glasses and a mullet, dressed in a black lab-coat with iridescent green skin and another that seemed as if he were made of metal wearing a black shirt and what was obviously hunting gear. The second ghost, the one Danny was now sure possessed the deeper voice and no doubt was his abductor had flaming green hair and noticed Danny's escape first a leer forming upon his metal face.

"Ah, the prey has escaped." he said almost eagerly holding his arm up as some sort of blaster formed from out of his arm. Danny took no chances, he blew the thing off with an ecto-blast before the ghost had a chance to fire it.

"Prey? I don't think so. I'm nobodies prey...and I'm not about to be anybody's guinea pig either." Danny ground out, shooting the second half of his statement at the thinner ghost who frowned at him.

"I don't have time for this Skulker. Recapture him, quickly. The first experiment is nearly prepped."

Skulker, obviously the hunter, smiled and nodded. "No problem Technus. The whelp will be easy to capture." This time it was both fists with two separate guns that fired at Danny who quickly threw up a shield to block the attack and glared from behind it at the two ghosts. "Oh no I won't." Danny spat back phasing through the floor in order to come up beneath Skulker and punching him square in the jaw.

The hunter staggered back and Danny shook out his throbbing hand. Okay so Skulker actually WAS made out of metal. Great. Skulker rubbed his jaw before turning back to Danny with a glare. The half-ghost didn't wait for the hunter's revenge he shot out an exto-blast and then flew at the hunter used his velocity to kick the flaming headed ghost back against the wall with enough force to leave a crack in the concrete.

The detective didn't wait for him to get back up, he pulled out his thermos and sucked the ghost up with ease. Danny smiled victoriously. "Alright, now time for the other guy." Danny said to himself turning around only to find the second ghost gone. The detective swore. "Great." Danny looked around him for a trace of where the other ghost could have gone when something latched onto his ankle and suddenly drug him down threw the floor.

Floors, cement, machines, everything flew by in an instant until Danny landed face up onto a metal slab. The air was forced from his lungs at the impact and Danny choked cursing his luck. In an instant his arms were pinned to his sides and the second ghost became visible once more, grinning down at him. Danny glared at him and was about to wrench himself free when something cold and metal latched itself around his wrists, keeping them where they were even when he attempted to phase through them. The ghost hovering above him took to standing by the side of the metal slab and Danny felt a chill go down his spine at the way he was looking at him.

The half ghost kicked out with his legs in a vain effort to free himself. "Let me go you son of a bitch!" Danny shouted, praying that someone might hear him. His shout did nothing but to make the scientist lift an eyebrow.

"You couldn't honestly have expected that to work?" Technus mused. Danny glared at him as the intellectual ghost stalked over to large dashboard somewhere off to Danny's right and began to type away. In an instant a horrid looking machine was descending from the ceiling. It was covered in prongs and needles and knives and a plethora of other attachments that the detective rather have not named. Danny stared up at it in fear before turning a glare back toward the ghost who held him prisoner. "What are you going to turn me into a cyberman now?" Danny asked sarcastically.

Technus snorted and then merely grinned. "Oh no my boy. Just a few experiments...that's all. You might feel some slight discomfort."

Danny swallowed and the fear in his eyes returned. "Slight discomfort where?"

"Oh....everywhere."

And at that a wicked looking probe lowered from the machine above Danny. The Detective kicked, he attempted to fire ecto-blasts from his hands, turn his restraints to ice, he did everything he could think of to keep the wicked looking thing from touching him to no effect. And as it touched his sweat-soaked forehead a terrible pain like a thousand tiny little fire ants crawling and biting him on all sides and in all crevices spread throughout his body. Danny screamed and thrashed unable to get away and unable to think properly due to the pain and irritation. Until at last the detective drew on his reserves of strength, took in a deep breath, and let out a powerful ghostly wail. The machine shattered and blew apart, Technus too was blown back and every piece of technology sparked, flared and then died a grisly death.

When it was all over Danny lay panting for some time until at last he used the last of his strength to phase out of his now powerless restraints and roll off of the metal slab. His legs would not support him, his whole body shook but somehow he was able to pull out the thermos once more and trap the unconscious Technus inside. With a groan Danny pulled himself up and looked around, his form reverting back to normal when he could no longer take the faint feeling that came from using up so much energy. The detective looked around for a way out and at last, through the wreckage, he spotted a door. Relief spilling over him Danny willed his legs to head for the door despite how much they felt like jelly underneath him.

Half way to the door Danny's legs gave out and he swore aloud in frustration. He had to get out of there, he couldn't afford to stay crumbled upon the floor. But his limbs didn't seem to want to cooperate and as Danny attempted to pull himself back up he nearly cried out in despair when his legs absolutely refused to hold him upright.

It took him twenty agonizing minutes to finally stand once more, and only then with the aid of a nearby machine. The detective was beginning to think he might actually make it out of this predicament, that his luck was finally turning, when the door knob turned and a chill of cold air swept out from Danny's lungs. That could only mean one thing. Yet another ghost.

Danny swore under his breath and let himself fall to the ground once more, scrambling behind the closest machine Danny prayed he was out of sight as the door swung open and the sound of heavy footsteps echoed within the room. The detective held his breath and prayed to every supernatural being there was that whatever ghost was there would just leave and never bother to see him. His prayers fell on deaf ears.

The footsteps stopped just beside the machine Danny hid behind and then suddenly Danny found his hiding spot abruptly revealed as the machine was ripped away and the detective came eye to eye with something straight out of the detective's nightmares. Blue skin, red eyes, a leering smile that bore pointed canines. The Detective could not help the feeling of dread that spread through his body as he looked this new ghost up and down. He was dressed in white with a red cape and his black hair was slicked back stylishly. In the back of his head the detective was slightly jealous of the breadth of the ghost's chest and his lean waist, but who has time to be jealous when you're about to be violently accosted.

Only Danny wasn't violently accosted. In fact as Danny tried to get his body to cooperate, trying to will himself to transform. To do SOMETHING about his current predicament the ghost simply knelt down onto one graceful knee and smiled at him. "Well...what a cute little human we have here." the ghost said, ebbing some of Danny's fears as he realized that this voice was not the voice that haunted his nightmares. This WASN'T the ghost from the museum.....was it? The feeling of recognition would not leave him despite the gentle way that this ghost addressed him. He was even less sure of the difference between the two when he was quite suddenly lifted as if he were nothing at all.

"Put me down." Danny ordered, his voice quiet and far away, his eyes never leaving those of this new ghost who gazed back at him so possessively. The ghost, so similar in appearance to a vampire, merely grinned and carried Danny out the door he'd been attempting to reach and up a flight of stairs, never losing breath. "Now why would I want to do that? I couldn't very well have LEFT you down there now could I?"

Danny didn't reply, not because he felt the ghost was right, but because he was in no state to argue. So instead Danny merely willed his body to respond as he tried desperately to keep this ghost distracted. "Where are you taking me?"

The ghost merely smiled down at him. "Well I'd imagine you'd like to return home wouldn't you? Though if you'd prefer you could always come back with me."

Danny glared at this ghost and shoved against him. "I don't need your help. Put me down."

The ghost's expression fell and stopped where he was upon the stairs to stare at Danny seriously. "So you are capable of walking on your own then?"

Danny looked away in embarrassment. The ghost laughed, his chest jostling the detective slightly as the ghost pushed open a door into the first room that Danny woke up in. "That's what I thought." The ghost mused. Danny cursed him in his mind and had to fight back a gasp of fear as suddenly the world fell away once more as the ghost phased them through several floors of the unknown building as well as the roof. When at last they were out in the sky once more Danny opened his eyes to see the sun barely rising, a mere sliver of yellow and pink on the horizon. He nearly wept. After the horror he just experienced it was the most beautiful thing in the world to him.

Still he had little time to enjoy it as the ghost whisked him through the air and across the city until at last Danny's office came into view. This time Danny was prepared as the ghost phased them through the roof and the off-center before landing on the second floor. Without asking the ghost phased them through the door to the room on the right and into the master bedroom that now belonged to Danny and once belonged to his parents.

Danny was surprised that the ghost set him down on his bed so gently letting him sit on the edge. For a moment the two regarded each other the ghost grinning in amusement while Danny watched him with suspicious eyes. Until at last the ghost turned to leave and the detective caught himself asking him to wait. Both seemed surprised at his out burst and the hesitation was evident in the air until at last the ghost turned back to Danny with a smile, walking up to him as Danny pulled back on the bed until he nearly sat in the middle, the ghost hovering over him, nearly pinning him to the bed if the opening to leave had not still been present.

Danny swallowed hard, the ghost was intimidating, in more ways than one, and the detective found it hard to voice what he had wanted to say. At last he cleared his throat and began to ask his question when he found himself being pushed down, a pair of cold and unfamiliar lips upon his own. Danny fought back from kissing this strange ghost the possessiveness and aggression in his approach too familiar and too uncomfortable for the halfa's tastes. Finally he managed to pull himself free, gasping for air, "Wait...I have questions..." Danny tried though he soon found it hard as the ghost's hands had moved from beside him to truly holding him.

One searching hand caressed his chest, moving to slide up underneath his shirt, as the other massaged his thigh in a way that was too pleasing for Danny's brain to really take in. "Ask away my boy." the ghost replied, whispering into his ear, laughter at the edge of his voice. The sinister tone forcing a cold chill down Danny's spine as he attempted to push the ghost away from him with little effect. Too weak, too distracted. "If you can." the ghost added running his tongue along the shell of Danny's ear before taking to nibbling away on his ear lobe.

Danny fought to formulate words but his brain was growing fuzzy with fatigue and pleasure and fear. "How...how did you know I lived here? Where I was? Why...why did you help me? Who are you?" As he asked the last the ghost pulled away as if Danny had shocked him and the sudden embrace was so quickly that ended that Danny was almost sorry it was gone. Almost.

The ghost stared at him, his grin almost wicked before merely chuckling. "Perhaps for another time detective."

Danny growled and sat upright grabbing the ghost by the collar glaring at him. "You didn't answer me!"

The ghost grinned and leaned in to kiss Danny once more, the detective turned his head away and the ghost's lips merely graced his cheek, but Danny shuddered at the contact anyway and turned back to glare the ghost once more, only to find that he was gone. Danny swore loudly and went to get up. To chase after the ghost and force him to tell. When he fell forward off the bed onto his knees. The detective swore again and slammed his fist upon the floor with a shout of frustration.

Vlad returned to the agency the following day and Danny no longer questioned where he had been or what he'd been up to. His mind was too preoccupied with the roller-coaster of emotions that had drove him mad the day before to wonder about his mysterious benefactor anymore.

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Neross: Was it good for you my lovelies? Because it was pretty good for me. Well in any case I hope you will all leave me with a parting note. Otherwise known as, review me, review me, REVIEW ME. Seriously though....I update faster if you review. Though I have been favorited quite a bit recently...which is always nice. *ahem* In any case my darlings until next time....look forward to more of my sweet torture won't you?


	4. Love is Tragedy

Neross: Well my sick little darlings I've returned.I also apologize for the lateness of this chapter. Please see my note at the end of this chapter for more information. I do hope you've missed me. Oh and by the way, I wouldn't be making any guesses about the museum ghost just yet...I've really got a sick little twist planned for THAT one. So it's not a yes, and it's not a no to some guesses that have been posted it's 'nya nya I'm not telling'. But please feel free to continue throwing guesses and ideas at me...it amuses me to no end.

Warning: This fanfiction may contain violence, inappropriate language, adult situations, SEXUAL situations, and general slashy goodness. Enjoy my sick little darlings.

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I awoke in the middle of the night for the fourth time that week. The twentieth time that month. My lungs burned and my skin felt as if it were on fire. I was drenched in a cold sweat and pinpricks and gooseflesh had broken out all over my body. I wiped the tears of fear from my face and tried desperately to regain my gasping breath despite the cold that permeated the room. With half a sob and half a gasp I clasped my knees to my chest and let myself breath, let myself grow calm so that I wouldn't cry. I'd been crying all too much recently. But I choked and I felt so nauseous with grief and guilt.

When at last I felt more like myself I looked up and around me at my tiny, dark, and messy room and the sight does nothing to calm me more. I feel as if I'm looking around someone else's room....someone else's house. The cold around me seems to grow denser, damper, and sinks into my bones. All of a sudden I feel like crying again. Will I never sleep easy again? As if in answer I hear a mocking voice answer on the wind. "No..."

Then I do cry, silently, and beg desperately for the sun to rise. Until I am reminded of words spoken to me long ago by a dear friend. 'If you need anything. Anything at all. I will do whatever is in my power to help you. No matter what.' At that memory my determination sets in, and I wipe away my tears and look to my phone. Something holds me back, as if saying that I don't deserve to ask for help for something that is really and truly all my fault to begin with. But my determination and that gentle memory urge me on and I pick up the cellphone he gave to me and punch in his number. Despite the late hour he answers without any tones of sleep to his voice or annoyance. Just the gentle and firm tone I'm so used to hearing from a distance.

"Good evening, Vlad Masters speaking."

For the first time in months I feel a jolt of happiness and rub a hand through my hair as I reply. "Evenin' Uncle Vlad...I..I uh...I think I need your help."

I can hear him shifting as he moves to attention. "Tell me what's wrong."

I told him everything and before we'd hung up I was in tears again. But already I felt better.

* * *

Vlad's return the day after Danny's kidnapping became the first of many trips the billionaire made to Danny's detective office. He was even there when Valerie Gray came in for her first day on the job. Danny slowly grew used to the older man's presence, though there was always something about him that kept the detective on edge. Something ...not quite right. Still, he had no room to complain and the companionship was welcome since Sam was often too busy to see Danny anymore. And living with Tucker had come to a point where each knew each other so well that any kind of break from the other was a sort of relief.

That said it really came as no surprise the following Saturday when Vlad showed up at Danny's door his cane in hand. The detective greeted him with a smile and opened the door wide to invite the billionaire in, only to have Vlad hold up his hand and shake his head in refusal. "No my dear boy this time I thought we'd take a little trip."

Danny's smile fell away and was replaced by a rather quizzical expression. Still the detective grabbed his hat and coat from off the hook and closed the door behind him. "Where to?" he asked simply, after spending several days together Vlad had become, well, easier to read. His look at the moment spoke of business. It was the excitement in his eyes and the oddly knowing way in which he smiled. This was, perhaps, the time in which Danny was most suspicious of the billionaire's motives but also the times at which Danny felt he had no choice.

Vlad smiled brightly at Danny's response, as if he hadn't been fully expecting him to comply so easily. And the billionaire quickly swept Danny off to his limousine with an blatant eagerness in his step. "An old friend of mine from college has called in a favor." Vlad explained as he held open the limo's door for Danny, the later quickly climbing in so as to get this whole thing over with. He was having flashbacks to the museum trip and was already beginning to feel a chill down his spine. He wanted this one over and done with as quickly as possible.

The detective waited until they were safely inside before asking Vlad to continue. The billionaire blond intertwined his fingers over his cane and stared at Danny over them, his expression eager but otherwise unreadable. "You see the children of a dear friend of mine are having an issue with their band. According to her daughter the band's lead singer seems to have committed suicide and now strange occurrences continue to follow the band where ever they go."

Danny could see where Vlad was going with this but even still he rubbed his chin in thought as he replied. "So you believe the singer's ghost is haunting the band? Why? Was it the band members that drove the singer to suicide?"

Vlad smiled in a mysterious and almost proud way and chuckled as he turned his attention to the passing scenery. "That, my dear boy, is precisely what we're going to find out."

* * *

I watch the road outside impatiently. Behind me my brother and my bandmates are playing a game of cards. I don't bother to know which game it is that they're playing. I don't really care. I'm too focused on the road outside the dingy window in the front room of our tiny studio. I'm sitting in MY chair, a green armchair that looks as if it'd been tossed out of a truck one time to many. The boys are sitting in their own designated chairs as well. My brother's is an old wooden yellow wicker chair, the back of which has a hole in it, as if someone stuck either their foot or their fist through it. The other two boys, Dennis, and Jake, are sitting in two unmatched folding chairs, one brown and covered with stains, the other is grey with black padding that looks as if it had been attacked by a multiple of cats for over a decade. And in the corner, empty and covered in dust was a bright blue high-chair that might have fit in better in a victorian castle. HER chair. Ember's chair.

I turn away from the depressing sight and back to the road and feel my spirits lift as a sleek black limo pulls up in front of the building. I nearly cry from relief as I see Vlad step out, his cane in hand and with the first real smile I've had in months I turn to the boys and clamber out of my chair.

* * *

Danny looked up at the small run-down building with a lifted eyebrow and a mixture of amusement. When Vlad had mentioned a 'band' he had assumed he meant to meet them at some sort of posh apartment complex, hotel room, or recording studio. Not an old brick building still sporting a sign meant for either a bar or an old-fashioned inn. From the corner of the detectives' eye Daniel spotted movement in one of the windows. But it was gone so quick that he was sure he had been seeing things. Still, Vlad had barely knocked at the door before it was flung open and the two men came face to face with, for a second, appeared to be ghost or zombie. In truth it was a young woman, who looked no older than fifteen who was so pale her skin had taken on a grey and sickly palor. Her blue eyes, probably once sharp and piercing now carried a pale glaze to them, accentuated by the deep dark rings around her baby-doll sized eyes. She looked up at them through long pale lashes and pale, shapely eyebrows. To Danny the girl looked very much like a gothic china doll that had been discarded and left on the shelf to decay. A fact made only more evident by her bright, bushy, curly red hair that seemed to have a mind of it's own as it created wild curves and waves around her face.

And then her small lips pulled back into a shaky smile and with a voice that was light and trickling with a slight irish tilt the woman let out an almost desperate cry and lept up to hug Vlad, less because of her enthusiasm and mostly because she was so short it would have been inappropriate. As it was she stood on her tiny toes and hugged the billionaire as if he were a life-preserver in a storm before at last she let him go and looked up at him with relief and desperate hope. "I'm so glad you came. I was beginin' to wonder if you thought I was crazy. Ghosts and all."

Danny eyes went to Vlad and was surprised to see a look of gentle worry on the man's face as he placed a guiding hand on the girl's shoulder and turned her back toward the door. "Of course not Britt. I could never think that of you or your brother. I owe your mother too much to think that of you." The girl smiled again, but it was hollow and thin. "I wouldn't 'ave blamed ye though if ya had."

Vlad spared a glance at Danny over his shoulder and Danny was leveled by the look of determination, concern, and fury coursing through the billionaire's sharp blue eyes. Taking the hint the detective nodded and followed after him as Vlad and the girl led the way inside. Upon entering Danny was surprised to find an old barroom made up to be something of a living room and practice room. And although the place looked and smelled homey, the furniture was sparse and there was only one small table with four mismatched chairs and another set off in a corner by the stage they had set up. As Danny looked he spotted the girl staring at it with a look heavy with grief and guilt before turning a obviously forced smile to Vlad as she stepped away from him and pulled out a green armchair for the billionaire to sit in. Vlad smiled graceiously and sat down with his usual elegance despite the beat-up look of the chair, folding his hands over his cane and turning to Danny.

"Britt, I'd like you to meet Danny, I've brought him in order to help you." the girl turned to look at Danny and the detective found himself staring into despair. Her smile fell as she turned back to Vlad. "How can he help?" she asked, not obviously doubting Vlad or Danny, but questioning how it was that Danny would be helping, worry in her tone. Vlad smiled at Danny and raised his chin in a secretively proud way, "My dear I have brought you the most promising paranormal investigator in the country. Who else to aide my precious godchildren?" Vlad queried. At this it was both Danny and Britt who sported looks of surprise, which they exchanged before Danny turned thoughtful and the girl smiled weakly.

Vlad was a godfather? And to two children? Not just one? What else was he hiding? But Danny had no chance to ponder further as three men entered from a swinging door behind the still existing bar. All three men were dressed like Danny expected a rock band to dress, torn jeans and tank tops, black t-shirts and matching pants with more pockets than was reasonable, and lots of spiked accessories. The forerunner of the three was short, thin, and, other than the glasses, was an older male version of Britt carrying a tray laden with a teapot and several cups. Behind him was a tall thin man with a green mohawk and a shorter lankier man with long purple hair and a backward baseball cap. All three appeared rather grim, but apparently in better shape than Britt who looked like a ghostly version of the redheaded male currently pouring Vlad a cup of tea. Vlad smiled thankfully and nodded when his cup was relatively full. "Thank you Bern."

The young man nodded and stood back to survey both Vlad and Danny, though his dark blue eyes, sharp and almost icy, settled on Danny with wary contemplation. Vlad, apparently not taking notice, sipped his tea for a moment before smiling, nodding his approval and turning back toward Danny. With a small gesture with his cup toward the other three men "Danny, this is Bern, Britt's twin brother. Along with Dennis and Jake, I believe, their band mates."

The detective fought the urge to stare in wonder at first Bern and then Britt but found he couldn't help himself. Bern and Britt, although similar in appearance, appeared to be years apart in age. While short Bern looked to be somewhere around Danny's age while Britt looked as if she could still be in her first few years of high-school. It was quite an odd piece of information to digest, along with the knowledge that Bern must be Vlad's OTHER godchild. Bern apparently caught on to his thinking because the musician smirked knowingly.

"Fraternal twins don't always look alike. And Britt's not been sleepin' well since Ember died." Bern explained which caused Britt to suck in a breath and turn a glance to the blue chair once more before plopping down in the yellow chair beside Vlad and folding her head in her hands. Danny turned a reflective look toward Bern. "You're lead singer who died I take it?" Danny asked, his tone respectful but firm.

Dennis nodded, his mohawk swaying as he did so. "Yeah, she and Britt were like sisters before the day it happened."

Jake scoffed and folded his arms across his chest. "When they weren't fighting tooth and nail anyway."

The purple haired cinic ducked barely in time to dodge the cup that was thrown at him and all eyes turned toward a livid Britt, her pale cheeks flushed red, her eyes alive with anger. "Don't ya talk 'bout things ya don't understand!" she snapped, before she suddenly faded back and seemed on the verge of tears collapsing into her chair once more, staring at the table as she studied her hands. "She was me best friend. I nev'r wanted ta see 'er dead."

Vlad's eyes grew worried and the man gripped the girl's shoulder supportively before turning to the boys. "Bern, why don't you and the boys give Danny a tour and fill him in on what's been going on?" The billionaire suggested, though, it was quite clear that it was more of a command as his eyes locked decisively with the detective's. Danny nodded and turned to Bern who rolled his shoulders and led Danny past Dennis and Jake through the swinging door they'd entered through.

* * *

The tour went well as Bern, Dennis, and Jake showed Danny around the studio that also served as the bands house. However, Danny started to become perplexed as he sensed signs of paranormal activity but saw no sight of the spirit itself even in Ember's old room. Not even in Britt's tiny, lavender colored, room where most of the ghost's aggression seemed to be focused. Finally Bern led Danny to where the band recorded their music, in the old basement of the building. There Bern extended his hands and gestured to the recording booth behind the soundproof glass, instruments standing neatly and shinning in the florescent light. All save one. A blue guitar in the corner that lay covered in a layer of dust like the chair in the room above and the bedroom above that. "We were workin' on our third single when Ember died. We've tried workin' on it since but...well...ye've seen Britt." Bern explained.

The detective nodded in understanding. And then surveyed the instruments behind the glass, including the guitar covered in dust. The detective's mind began whirring as he tried to piece this puzzle together. "Forgive me for asking but...do you happen to know why Ember committed suicide?"Danny asked carefully not wanting to bring anyone else to tears. Bern let out a sigh and looked up to the ceiling while Denis shuffled his feet and Jake looked toward the guitar in the booth with a mixture of anger and sorrow.

Finally it was Bern who turned to Danny with a look that was full of bitterness. "If I 'ad to say...I'd say it likely 'ad somethin' to do wit 'er crush on me. " Danny blinked and then turned toward the other two for confirmation. Dennis nodded and Jake snorted and crossed his arms. Now able to form some sort of a theory Danny turned back to Bern with another question. "You didn't feel the same?"

Bern looked away for moment, considering how to phrase his answer before at last stuffing his hands in his pockets and looking the halfa in the eye once more. "I liked 'er sure...but not in tha same way. 'Sides it wouldn't 'ave felt righ' goin' out with 'er." Danny was about to ask why but Bern left him no choice as he turned and brushed past the detective and toward the stairs. "Well! Think we've kept 'em waitin' long enough. " he stated clearly, a note of finality in his voice as he bounded back up the stairs. Danny watched him go for a moment, wishing he'd been able to question the red-head further, before at last he followed, though he was still determined to get to the bottom of why Bern would avoid answering his questions. Jake and Dennis followed behind him and Danny was almost at the top of the stairs, Bern already in the doorway, when a wisp of breath escaped his lips.

Wary and shocked Danny turned, "Look out she's-!" but Danny was too late. The old stairs gave way and both Dennis and Jake disappeared into a dark void. Bern, turned and let out their names in a yell frantic with worry, concern, and furry. Danny however was already on the verge of the abyss ready to dive downward as a ghost in order to save the men...only to see a sight so grim he had to fight to keep from throwing up.

Jake had fallen straight onto the crumbling support beam that had given away probably years before, and the sharp wooden point protruded from his torso like tiny sharp little mountain ranges surrounded by already spreading pools of blood. His leg was twisted round into a position that left no doubt that it had been broken in several places, and his arms were covered in bloody pits and wicked looking cuts. His eyes lay staring upward, blind and unseeing, his expression stuck in an unheard gasp or scream.

Not far off from his body was Dennis who appeared to have broken an arm and maybe his leg as well. All Danny could really tell was that he was bleeding. Danny turned to Bern and shot him a look that told him just how serious the situation was. "Go call an ambulance! Dennis is seriously hurt!" Bern looked wide-eyed at Danny, and the detective could see gears spinning, losing traction, and spinning some more inside the musician's head. There was worry etched into his features and the cloud of dust and smoke from the collapsed stairs was doing nothing to help the situation at all. A ringing started up in Danny's ears that he just couldn't get rid of. Bern choked on the air as he tried to talk over what was probably the ringing in his own eardrums. "What about Jake?"

Danny's expression became grim and he shook his head in sorrow. "Gone. You have to go call 911! Go!" Bern cringed at the news, fury stirring in the red-head's very core. He sprinted back up the steps and down the hall. Danny, however, turned back toward the carnage and in an instant he was floating down and checking Dennis' pulse which was erratic, but thankfully present. He then carefully lifted him out of the rubble and placed him on the floor above. Then, grimly Danny turned to see to Jake's body when a high pitched scream reached the half ghost's ears. Instantly Danny returned to human form, just as Bern burst from his room down the hall, phone still in hand.

Bern didn't even wait for an explanation from Danny or his permission, he was running down the hallway back toward the lobby as if he had wings glued to his feet, screaming his sister's name in worry and fear. Danny burst after him, calling him back, hoping that he didn't do anything rash or stupid to wind up hurt or worse....dead.

As they broke through the door to where they had left Vlad and Britt Danny's breath came out in a visible wisp. But there was no sign of the ghost there was only Vlad and Britt, both on the floor on their knees. Danny's heart stopped beating. And then Vlad turned, his cane in his hand as well as a dinner knife covered in blood. Danny's lungs refused to take in air. Not until Vlad moved away and Danny was able to see that the knife Vlad held in his hands was not covered in his own blood but Britt's. And the dinner knife was only one of many other utensils that were now sticking out of Britt's skin. There were three different forks, one lodged in her hand, another in the toe of her shoe, and one other sticking out of her knee. There was another knife lodged in her shoulder, and two different spoons that were stuck, handle down, in either of her legs. One in her right thigh, the other in her left calf. Danny's breathing returned and he was calm as he helped Vlad and Bern carefully remove the shinning metal from her body.

The forks had caused the least amount of damage but the knives had cut in deep and the spoons had actually caused more damage than Danny was really able to believe. The girl was shaking in shock and fear and there was absolutely no way, Danny knew, that she would be telling him what happened anytime soon. So instead Danny let Bern see to his sister and turned to Vlad instead. The billionaire seeming concerned, worried, but still as calm as Danny was. And thank god, because that was exactly what Danny need in this sort of situation. "What happened?" Danny asked him firmly, pulling him aside, taking the bloody knife from his hands. The billionaire ran a hand down his face and looked back at his godchildren before turning back to the halfa beside him.

"We were talking and then we heard a large crash. We stood up and were discussing whether or not to go and see what had happened when the silverware suddenly seemed to come to life and flew at Britt. It...it happened so quick I couldn't stop it. Danny, what was that crash? Where are the other two boys?" Danny took a deep breath and removed his hat, running his hand through his hair. "We were on the stairs, coming up from the basement, she made the stairs give out underneath us. Jake didn't make it, Dennis is injured. Brett was calling for an ambulance and I'd just dragged Dennis up to the landing when we heard Britt's scream." Vlad looked up suddenly, staring Danny in the eye, his expression shocked disbelief.

"Daniel...did...did you just say Jake is ...Dead?"

Danny winced ...and then nodded. There was a sharp intake of breath from Vlad and then the room grew silent. Danny turned to the twins who were holding each other like two desperate people clinging to life preservers while lost at sea. And then the detective turned back to Vlad and saw in his face the same worry and fear that must have been lined clearly upon his own features. The billionaire's face quickly turned steely with resolve. "I'll stay here with Britt and Bern. Go make sure she doesn't do anything further to harm Dennis."

The detective nodded and quickly headed back toward the basement stairwell. Thankfully Dennis was still alive but the pulse Danny had originally detected was now fading. The half ghost grit his teeth and turned back toward the bar stage where he'd come from. He knew it was a bad idea to move Dennis further but it also wasn't a good idea to just leave him lying in the hallway while a vengeful spirit was out to get everyone in the building. He had just decided to pick up Dennis and somehow carry him back to the main bar when yet another wisp of cold visible breath escaped from his lips. Danny tensed, his body falling into a fighting stance as his body transformed.

He had barely done so when a woman rose through the floor, her flaming blue hair pulled back into a ponytail that flared out behind her with a mind of it's own. She wore a back tank top and a pair of dark rocker pants with large matching skull boots. In her hands was the guitar that Danny had seen resting in the corner of the sound-booth, collecting dust. The half-ghost's eyes narrowed and he uttered the ghost's name with a curse. "Ember."

The woman smiled, "Got that right baby pop. Let me guess... little miss perfect and her brother hired you to take care of me."

The detective's eyes narrowed, "That's right. And trust me when I say," his fist began to glow green with energy, "Ghostbusters ain't got nothing on me." In an instant the ghost rocker was blown back, but she wasn't down for long. When she got back up she looked more furious than ever and flames were springing up all around her feet and forming around her head like a halo from her hair. Before Danny could react the ghost rocker stuck a cord on her guitar, and the whole hallway was rocked with a wave of sound.

The detective had just barely managed to erect an ecto-shield before himself as the sound wave hit. His shield shook and then shattered and Danny was thrown back, hard and hit the far wall as if he were made of paper. He heard the high laughter of the rocker as the sound wave finally fell away. The detective snarled and pushed himself off the wall and aimed for her like a missile. But she disappeared into thin air as if she were made of smoke. Danny stopped himself before he ran into the door that led outward and into the kitchen. He let out a frustrated snarl and then let himself drop to the floor his ghost form falling away.

The detective turned and immediately knew why Ember had left so quickly. Dennis was lying on the floor at the end of the hallway, lying against the wall, his eyes rolled back in his head. Unlike the detective Dennis had had no ecto-shield to protect him and so had taken on the full force of the sound wave. Danny swore under his breath and rushed back to the man's side, instantly searching for a pulse. He found none. Dennis' chest was caved in, as if it had been crushed. If the halfa had to guess it was probably a result of the full force of the blast and the collision with the wall not long afterwards. There was no doubt in Danny's mind that it was Dennis's collapsed lungs that had led to his death.

He let out a choking gasp and ran both of his hands over his face and took a deep breath. Danny felt like it was close to impossible to breath, his own lungs burned like they were on fire. He bit back a choking sob and scrubbed his face with his hands before at last he pulled himself up. He knew what he had to do. He had to stop Ember. He had to stop her before she killed again. Before she got what she wanted. He was going to make her pay. For every life she had taken, including her own, Danny was going to make her pay.

* * *

Danny was taking a moment to steady himself when he heard another scream. He was up in an instant, bolting back toward the bar and stage as if his OWN life depended upon it. He sprinted past the kitchen, considered going ghost but was worried that it might do more harm than good. Though in honesty he was just so worried about Vlad seeing him for what he really was, a freak that wasn't fully human. But all of that flew out the window when Danny burst through the door and felt his breath come out in cold wisps even as he caught sight of Ember raising her arm to strike a cord upon her guitar.

The detective seethed and before he knew it he was flying in front of the twins who were holding each other, Bern looking strong and determined, Britt looking stricken and afraid, and Vlad who stood before them, trying to shield them both. The second Danny landed before them he changed, an ecto-shield erected in seconds, reinforced by a growing amount of ice. This time, the shield stayed up. As they wave ran out of power and faded away leaving everyone unharmed the ghostly rocker let out a screech of rage. With fury she shot out a line of flame that licked against Danny's shield and weakened it but not enough to break it. Danny didn't give her a chance to shoot another flame, instead he fired back with ice.

It hit her arm dead on and coated it in ice. Ember's eyes rose in shock and fear and she let out a scream of pain and horror. With her attention drawn to her arm the detective lowered his shield and shot forward, tackling his opponent to the ground and coating where he touched her with thick layers of freezing ice. The flame-haired ghost screamed out all the more, but Danny held on ignoring the screams of agony that erupted from the writhing spirit beneath him. All until another shout joined in with the woman below him, sharp, clear, brilliant, and tragic. Like a sorrowful song.

"Stop! Lord please stop! You're torturing her!"

Danny released the woman and turned to see Britt, still wrapped up in the arms of her brother, her expression filled with a confusing mix of terror, shock, and grief. The detective released the ghost beneath him and stood watching her as she shook and stared up at him with fury and murder in her gaze. The halfa refused to answer her, he didn't wait any longer to pull out his thermos and sucked her in, ice and all. At last he let out a sigh and let himself shift back to human form.

Danny, his chest heaving, turned back to the other three, though, despite himself, his gaze focused onto to Vlad who was regarding him with a look of surprise and something else that the half-ghost just could not identify and did not really want to.

* * *

I watched as the police wheeled away the bodies of my two friends, watching them go with empty eyes. My mind empty of thoughts save for those dealing with my utter despair. I had hoped that by calling Vlad I would find answers and be relieved, but now I was only filled with more doubts than ever and my heart sank. So it was a surprise when Danny, a man I had met not more than an hour ago, sat down beside me and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. I looked up to him and he gazed at me with a strong and steady look. Then he removed his hand and stared down at the thermos in his hands. "I don't know if it'll help but," And he held out a card to me.

I stared at it a moment until at last I took it from him and read it's contents. It doesn't alleviate my fears as I hoped it would. It's the business card of a mental institution upstate. I glance back at him, I'm sure pathetically, and hold it back out to him. "I'm not crazy." I told him firmly, a bit insulted.

But the detective waves the card off and goes on. "No, it's not that. There's a psychiatrist there who can help you deal with all this. She's my sister. If anyone can understand what you're going through it's her. She grew up with me after all." As he said this he buried his head in the crook of his arm, looking mortified. Probably because he revealed his super-powers to two total strangers and ...well...after learning what I had from Vlad...his investor/ possible love interest. I stared at him a moment before at last I smiled sadly and laid a hand on the thermos he held.

"I was in love with 'er." I admitted, tears stinging my eyes. "She came ta me and asked if she 'ad a chance wit me brother. I told 'er he 'ated 'er. I wanted ta keep 'er all to myself. And because a my selfishness...I got three a my friends killed. Anyone else would tell me somethin' superficial hopin' tha' I wouldn't follow them. But you give me a card ta a shrink." He looks up at me absolutely horrified. And then I punch him lightly in the arm. "Thank you."

He stares at me in confusion for a minute before at last he smiles a bit sheepishly. "So...Vlad's your godfather?" he asks, his expression changing into something akin to curiosity, though I feel there's more to it than that. I nod absently and look up and over where my brother and Vlad are talking to the police. "Yeah, our mum met 'im in college and they became really good friends. Then mum met our dad and had us...tha's about it really."

Danny stared at me a moment and then looked over to Vlad before at last he responded. "You guys seem awfully close."

I smiled and turned back to him, placing my chin in my hand. "Guess you're not a detective for nothing." I look back to Vlad and feel my own sadness well up with the sad past. "Truth is me mum was in love wit him. Confessed and everythin'. But Vlad has always been in love with somebody else." The detective raised an eyebrow at me and then looked back toward Vlad. "So did he ever get together with that other person?"

I shook my head and looked into Danny's deep blue eyes, somehow feeling like they were familiar though I couldn't think of why. "Nah. Tha' other person married someone else as I hear it. Guess it was unrequited love all around."

Danny looked a bit awed and for the rest of that evening the detective watched my godfather with a new and unreadable expression.

* * *

Both Vlad and Danny were silent as they climbed back into the limo later that day. The ride was stiff with tension as the care pulled out and began down the road. As the detective watched Vlad he couldn't help but notice the quiet and distant expression the billionaire wore, never letting his eyes meet with the detective's. So it was with surprise that Danny looked out the window and saw that the road they were taking was NOT leading back to Fenton Works but nearly out of town. Toward the gated district. Danny looked up in surprise and turned toward Vlad in question, but the billionaire's expression had not changed and his gaze did not waver away from the window.

So the detective did not ask where it was they were going. After all, he could already guess quite well.

* * *

As they pulled through the high gate that led to what had to be the largest house Danny had ever seen Vlad finally turned toward Danny with a serious and straight-laced gaze. The billionaire clasped his hands over his cane and scooted forward in his seat, getting ready to depart. "I'd like to talk to you inside Daniel." Was all he said to the detective who found that all he could do was nod in return, his gut twisting awkward and uncomfortable.

Vlad got out first as was usual. Although this time he waited until Danny had gotten out as well before he started up the steps to the huge mansion, the detective close on his heels. The door opened without Vlad even having to touch it and swung open to reveal a butler who stood erect as the two men strode past and on into the heart of the mansion. Danny, for his part, tried to study the portraits on the wall, the sculptures that stood in classical artistic stances in appropriate and stylish portions of the house. Beautiful and elegant antique furniture followed the detective as Vlad led him through the house.

It wasn't until the turned down a large hallway that the beautiful and elegant antiques, portraits, and sculptures fell away to bright green and yellow, and gold decorations, rugs, banners, and display cases that gave a wide and varying view of Packers paraphernalia. Danny felt himself smile for the first time since the incident with the band had begun. He couldn't help himself but stop and chuckle a bit. "I never would have pegged you as a Packer's fanatic Vlad. I knew you were from Wisconsin but I never knew you had a thing for football."

Vlad stopped as well and turned to Danny, his expression unreadable. "And I never knew you had superpowers Daniel. Seems we are learning quite a bit about one another today." The color drained from Danny's face, his tongue suddenly felt heavy in his mouth, which had also become starchily dry. He swallowed a lump in his throat that formed almost instantaneously and was growing each second to rival the size of a large grapefruit. Vlad himself turned back toward the hallway and the detective heard his footsteps begin once again. "If you'd follow me to my study Daniel we will finish this...discussion."

Danny would have winced at the tone in Vlad's voice, which sounded slightly harsh to his ears, but instead turned and followed obediently, though his feet felt like they each weighed the equivalent of ten metric tons. Eventually the green and gold fell away and the hallway was once more reclaimed by the rich and classical decor Danny might have suspected from a European estate or castle. As they walked the detective noticed a theme in the sculptures and paintings along the wall, all of them were baroque paintings of grecian myths or baroque statues depicting grecian characters of myth. All at once Danny wished that Sam were with him, she had always known more about mythology than he did.

The paintings themselves were slightly creepy if not tragically romantic. Most depicted men, or gods, either in mourning or in love. Most seemed to be taking love by force. Most were of men forcing women, others were of men loving other men. And finally Danny caught sight of a plaque beneath one particular sculpture of a beautiful young man riding an eagle. The plague read, "The Rape of Ganymede". A chill went down the detective's spine, he sped up after Vlad.

* * *

At last the billionaire led Danny to a pair of large intricate doors which he opened with a key to what appeared to be a study lined with bookcases that reached up to ceiling. And along the back wall was a large modern painting done all in blue of a man with dark hair from the back, his hair tracing his neck. The man's arms were positioned upon a wall in the background, as if he were bracing himself upon it. His bare back toned and muscled like that of a track athlete or a swimmer...not unlike Vlad himself. And upon his back were the tracing hands of another person but who could not be determined. The hands were thin, artistic, and lean as were the arms that supported the hands. By the hands and arms alone it was impossible to tell if the one embracing the man was male or female, though if it were a woman her nails were kept short and ragged. The blue painting was stunning and it's passion and intensity sent new shivers up Danny's spine, though these, unlike those from earlier were warm and slightly ...enticing...though the hairs on the back of his neck still stood up in suspicion and dread.

Vlad motioned for Danny to take a seat upon the small leather love-seat couch that sat at an angle with a view both toward the door as well as toward the painting, framed by two large windows that framed the room with spectacular moonlight making most of world seem bathed in a blue light similar to that in the painting. Danny sat in the love-seat and found himself trying hard not to focus on the deceptively erotic painting. The detective found himself focusing instead upon Vlad who had placed his cane against a high-backed chair and was now pouring himself a glass of brandy from a small bar. Once he had poured himself a glass the billionaire took a moment to drink a bit from it before turning back to Danny. Vlad then offered Danny a glass as well, which the detective accepted with amazing appreciation.

Only after Danny had drained more than half of his glass did Vlad a last take seat in the armchair himself, taking hold of his cane and spreading it across his lap. He took another sip of his drink and at last turned his eyes on Danny, who found it hard to stare back into eyes that were so sharp and so intuitive...and so piercing. "So Daniel," Vlad began at last, "Would you care to explain just what it was that I witnessed today? Or should I simply guess?"

Danny swallowed hard and turned his nervous gaze to Vlad's. He licked his lips, finding it hard to speak. And then at last he cleared his voice and answered. "Vlad, what you saw today could it stay between us please?" The billionaire raised an eyebrow and frowned a bit, and when he spoke his tone held a mixture of disappointment and curiosity that made Danny's cheeks burn. "If that is what you want me to do Daniel. But I must ask why? After all I do believe I am entitled to know why you have been hiding things from me." Danny ran a hand through his hair and turned his eyes to the moon outside the window, afraid to look at anything else. "Yes, I suppose you do." he replied. "And what you saw today can be summed up rather simply. I'm...I'm half ghost."

There was an awkward silence that seemed to stretch on for a great length of time. Until at last the sound of Vlad shifting in his chair reached Danny's ears and the billionaire spoke once more, his tone urgent. "How?" Danny perked up and finally locked eyes with Vlad, dark royal blue meeting gray ice. "What?" Danny asked, his voice barely a whisper. Vlad's tone became a command. "Tell me how you came to be this way." Danny swallowed, but not on brandy, his chest tightening. He knew he could simply walk out now and leave Vlad wondering but a strange, overwhelming feeling, something that felt unnatural compelled him to tell Vlad everything. Despite his desperate wanting not to.

"When I was fourteen my parents built a gateway to another dimension...a...another world. They called it a portal to the Ghost Zone. A dimension where dead and lost souls exist. However, they could not get the thing to work. So when they took a break to review their notes I went to investigate the machine myself. However, while I was looking at it I tripped upon some loose wiring and somehow turned the machine on. The next thing I remember there was a shock of bright green light and blinding pain that coursed through my body. I passed out due to the pain."

The detective took a moment to drain the rest of his glass and took a deep calming breath, his eyes wandering over the painting before darting quickly to the ground, his cheeks beginning to turn red from a mixture of the burning alcohol and his own embarrassment. "I woke up the next day. My parents had found me lying on the ground next to the portal but had had trouble recognizing me because my hair had turned white and my eyes had turned green. My clothing had also inverted itself in color. As you saw earlier."

The billionaire merely nodded so Danny continued, though a knot had grown in his chest making it hard for him talk. "After they figured out that it really WAS me they ran a multitude of tests. The news was sort of...shocking to hear. After studying my DNA my parents learned that somehow my DNA had bonded with ghost DNA which was...rather interesting to learn that ghosts actually HAD DNA. Of course after that point things got complicated, I started falling through solid objects, freezing things when I touched them, emitting ecto energy, sensing other spirits, turning invisible. It was like I was becoming a ghost."

At this Vlad sat up straight, his eyes widening slightly in interest, scooting forward in his seat and folding his hands over his cane. Danny watched him for a moment, more self-concious and nervous than he'd been in his entire life. In order to simply end the experience as quickly as possible. "Eventually I was able to control these new abilities of mine and shift from my ghost form to my human form thanks, mostly, to support from my family and friends. I know it sounds cheesy and ridiculous but it really is the sad truth of my life. I spent all of high school dealing with my unusual changes as well as fighting off aggressive vengeful spirits. And afterwards I gave up my dream to be an astronaut and focused on detective service instead, which was really my sister's idea. That's uh....that's about it really." Danny surmised rather lamely, but only because he simply could not think anymore and it came to his attention that he was shaking.

And the second he was aware of it the glass he held in his hands dropped and shattered on the floor. Instantly whatever it was that had compelled Danny to speak seemed to lift from him and in his embarrassment he reached to clean up the glass. An apology was already falling clumsily from his lips, when suddenly there was a large pair of hands covering his own. Danny looked up and found himself staring into ice-blue eyes once more as well as a gentle and somehow understanding smile. Danny forgot all about the glass and allowed Vlad to lift him up from his seat. The billionaire's smile turned friendly and he dropped Danny's hands to return to the bar where he mixed together another glass for the young man who stood nervously watching.

And as he poured the brandy the older man spoke in a tone that was welcoming and more gentle than Danny had ever heard him be. "Daniel did it ever occur to you that I might come to accept this wonderful gift you have?" The detective perked his head up and watched the billionaire's every move now with extreme interest. And the smile that Vlad shot Danny was one of one fellow conspirator to another. Danny no longer felt nervous but a strange energy seemed to be moving through the air with all the fervor of a wild animal in heat. The cold room suddenly felt warm as Vlad turned with a smile to place a new glass in Danny's hands, the detective taking it without looking, as if someone possessed. The billionaire moved on and stood before the blue painting before at last turning with a smug smile toward the detective.

Danny found himself smiling awkwardly in return though he took a quick sip from his drink in order to calm his overactive nerves before he replied. "I'm sorry, it's just, I've found it sort of hard to trust other people with this sort of thing. With scientific parents I'm always a little afraid of someone reporting me to the government and being experimented on like some sort of...well...I guess freak would be a good word for it."

The billionaire's smile fell and he shook his head sympathetically. "My dear Daniel," he said mournfully, walking over and placing a comforting hand on Danny's shoulder that only intensified the heat that was spreading through Danny's body. "you are in no way a 'freak'. And what you have is a gift! A gift I would love to help you cultivate. My boy you truly are the most unique young man I have ever encountered. Do not allow anyone else to tell you otherwise."

Danny felt awkward at the praise though he had to admit it did stroke his ego more than he was really comfortable with saying. "I uh...thank you. I do have to admit that it's nice to have someone else to talk to about um...my condition."

Vlad rose an eyebrow and smiled in a knowing way, a new sort of dominance shinning deep within the recesses of his eyes that had a portion of Danny growing suspicious of his motives. But that portion was so small and was being so overridden by the part of him that was getting warm and losing the battle with the alcohol he was currently drinking down like water. The detective smiled back over the rim of his glass and reveled in the burning that was growing from his stomach on up.

"Daniel, whenever you want to talk about your...condition...or anything else at all, just feel free to drop by. I would feel privileged to be considered your confidant as well as your financier. So long as you feel comfortable with that arrangement of course." The blond stated with a smirk, putting an arm around Danny's shoulders which the detective normally would have thought odd. But as it was he merely thought it oddly friendly of him and so smiled a bit lopsidedly. "No law saying you can't be." Danny concluded the rational part of his mind screaming out that something felt wrong. But the warmth was just so overwhelming that he wanted to forget everything else, settle into the love-seat and just spend the night in the giant mansion. But because the familiarity of the situation was ALSO screaming out at him and scaring the detective half to death.

So Danny shrugged out of Vlad's hold with an apologetic smile as the warmth of the room suddenly became stifling, as if somebody had turned the heat up too high and had then stuck him in an oven at four hundred degrees. Sweat broke out along the back of his neck, and felt startlingly cold."I um...I should probably be getting home. Tucker will be wondering what's happened to me. And I really should lock up that ghost we ran into today."

Vlad seemed disappointed at first but then smiled and nodded in agreement, leading Danny back to the front door and helping him into the limo Danny had become so familiar with. "I'll see you soon Daniel. Do try to sleep well tonight." Danny nodded absently and then was thankful when the driver pulled away. It wasn't until Danny was home once more, and after he had put Ember away that what he had just done hit him. And much like when he had first met Vlad the detective felt as if someone had pulled the rug out from under his feet and as if the devil had made off with his soul. The only difference between then and now was that his body was reacting as well, and not in the way he had expected it to. What was it about Vlad that made him feel like he wasn't in control of his own decisions?

Somehow he was going to find out just what was going on with his mysterious financier, dead or alive.

* * *

Neross: You know sometimes it's the chapters you think are going to be the most fun to write that turn out to be the hardest. HOLY CRAP this one took WAY longer than I thought it would. In my defense I did have to deal with several foreseen and unforeseen circumstances though. The Foreseen having been Christmas, New Years, a skii trip in the mountains and reunions with friends back home. The unforeseen? Slipping on the ice in the mountains and breaking two of my fingers. I'm just glad it wasn't my dominant hand that it happened too....but typing certainly has been a bitch ever since then.

In any case my little lovelies my poor broken appendages certainly would feel better if I got a little encouragement such as...a few reviews maybe? Well, in the meantime. Look forward to more of my sweet torture.


	5. Your Desire

Neross: Well hello there my sick little darlings. I have missed you so. But I'm back, with mildly functioning fingers I might add. Although I expect I will never be able to feel the tip of my middle finger ever again sad to say. Seriously, it's been numb ever since I broke it all those months ago. Anyway I'm sure you're all eager to get to the good stuff and OH BOY do I have the good stuff this time around. Enjoy my sweetlings.

Warning: This fanfiction contains violence, inappropriate language, adult situations, graphic imagery, sexual situations, and general slashy goodness. Enjoy my sick little darlings.

* * *

Danny awoke the morning after that eventful evening sweating and screaming from a particularly horrifying dream. Unfortunately it would not be the first time either. For close to a week Danny was awoken constantly by the sounds of his own thrashing. What made everything worse was that the detective could not figure out what the nightmare meant or even why he was having it.

In his dream he was always surrounded by the ticking of a clock and the reaching and scrambling hands of an unseen person. Each fingertip was like an icy prod straight to his heart and all through-out that same dark laughter haunted him. And then there were those eyes. Three sets of them, each one different, but each one gazing at him with different needs, different wants, different gauging glances. And then, just when the detective thought he could take no more the middle-most pair of eyes pinned him with an intense stare, freezing everything around him as if time itself had stopped. And in that last moment before awakening came a warning from a voice Danny was sure he'd only heard somewhere in a distant memory. "Time is running out."

And this night, like all the others for the past week, was the same. He awoke thrashing, gasping for air that burned in his lungs from the cold. The only difference this time was the light pouring in through the drawn blinds in the detective's room. For the last week Danny had become used to waking in the middle of the night. This time, however, he seemed to have managed the whole night for morning was streaming in.

Despite the detective's gasping he couldn't help but smiling. Morning light, it felt like ages since he had seen it. Throwing off the covers that stuck to his sweat-drenched body Danny ran to the window and tossed aside the blinds. He knew better to throw the window open, with the snow floating so gently past his window as it was, but he breathed deep all the same. Morning sunlight! It was as if he were seeing an old and badly missed friend. He had missed his mornings in the last week, having slept through them after finally returning to sleep after fitful fights with his reoccurring nightmare.

And then something else Danny had missed in the last week hit his nose like a lover's missed caress. The smell of coffee, pancakes, eggs, sausage, and bacon. The halfa rushed to get dressed, throwing on clothes he wasn't sure were really clean. He wasn't even going to bother with shoes if it weren't for the fact that outside of his door was the cold hard wood floor of the hallway. So Danny quickly slipped on a pair of clean socks and his favorite pair of chucks before he bounded out the door at last and practically ran into the kitchen from which the amazing aromas were issuing.

To his surprise he opened the door to the kitchen to find his sister at the stove, smiling and chatting with Valerie and Tucker as if she's never left home at all. Danny's smile gentled and became almost disbelieving as he stepped slowly into the room. "Now who let you in this early in the morning?" Danny asked humorously, causing Jazz to turn from watching the progress of the bacon frying on the stove to him. His red-headed sister smiled, let out a sound of giddy surprise and ran to her brother to give him a hug. "Well good morning to you too Danny!" She told him.

Back in high school Danny had always been crushed by his sister's hugging. She'd always been taller than him then and had towered over his short and skinny frame. But a lot had changed since then and their situations had switched. Danny now towered over his sister as he returned her hug, his sister now thin compared to his own athletic frame. Back when Danny had first received his powers Jazz had been the first to accept him and his change and had been his biggest pillar of support.

Seeing her now was like a godsend, after all Danny knew he could tell her things he could never tell the others. His sister didn't mind it when he gushed out how he was feeling and his fears. And at the moment he had a lot he needed to guidance on. But for now there was breakfast to be had and there were other people around. So instead of immediately gushing like he might have had he and Jazz been alone Danny simply pulled away and turned to grab a plate which he filled to the brim with his sister's excellent cooking. "So what brings you back to town Jazz?" the dark haired detective asked, his grin unfading as he set his plate down and turned to pour himself a cup of coffee.

Jazz smiled back and pushed her hair back from her face as she turned back to the bacon on the stove. "A client who said YOU recommended me actually. We've talked quite a bit over the phone and I thought it was about time to meet in person."

Danny paused, briefly, in the act of pouring his coffee before he finished. He took the time to sip at his coffee and then take a seat before at last he broached his sister's rather off-hand comment. "So Britt called you after all." he said slowly, meaningfully, not willing to give away how he felt about this little bit of news. Jazz, as clever as she was, instantly saw through Danny and her smile fell as she placed the finished bacon on a plate with the rest and then placed it on the table before taking a seat. "Yes she did. I was surprised when she told me that it was you who had recommended me. Still it was rather flattering. It's good to know you think so highly of me." Jazz told him, her smile returning as she turned to her own plate.

The half-ghost smiled over his fork at his sister at how easily she defused the emotions she had brought to the surface in the first place. He finished off his eggs and grinned wide before replying to her. "Of course I think highly of you. You're my sister. Plus you did wonders with me. I'm almost normal now thanks to you."

The table laughed collectively to Danny's comment and the rest of the morning was spent trading news and pleasantries until Jazz at last had to excuse herself for her meeting. Danny gave her one last hug before she left and turned to his own work making sure his invoices checked out and making sure his bills were paid. Not long after Jazz headed out Valerie and Tucker came in to say good bye before they both headed out to attend to chores, errands and some much needed quality time together. Danny smiled and waved them off cheerfully as they left, feeling truly light-hearted for the first time in months.

He plowed through his work nearly effortlessly and hummed to himself as he did blaring a CD Britt had given him of the few songs they'd finished. By the end of the second hour he knew the words by heart and could sing along to them, although he was nowhere near as good as Ember or Britt were by a long shot. "And when the well runs dry. When the well runs dry. I'll know why. I'll know why. Because of all the little things you said. Meant only to get me in bed. And all the times you lied to me are burned deep in my memory. Yet I can't stop loving you. So turn your lies and make 'em true, 'cuz I'm still in love you. No matter what you do."

Danny stopped singing abruptly however when his doorbell rang. Intrigued, and rather disappointed he'd been interrupted in the middle of his song, the detective sighed and cut the music. He pulled himself up and simply let himself fall through the floors until he stood in his lobby, finding it much faster than actually taking the stairs. He answered the door and found himself surprised when it turned out to be a Fedex delivery girl. She smiled plaintively up at him from under a sheet of short black hair and handed him a clipboard and a pen. "Daniel Fenton right? Please sign on the 'x'."

Danny nodded, his mind trying to wrap around just what it could be that he was getting. He certainly hadn't been expecting a package as far as he knew. He signed anyway and the girl nodded, slipped the clipboard under her arm and then returned to her truck waiting at the curb to put the clipboard away. She returned not long afterward with a large white box with an envelope attached with tape to the side. "Here you are sir. " She told him matter-of-factly before nodding once more and turning to descend the stairs of Fenton Works once more, readjusting her black base-ball cap as she did.

Danny waited until she had gone before heading back inside with his package. He turned it over in his hands and examined it with a curious eye until he came back to the attached envelope. And there on the envelope was plainly written the one name that could cause his good mood to do flip-flops that threatened to give way to confusion and a smattering of other confusing emotions the detective wasn't really ready to analyze. Vlad Masters, 5659 Whiley Street, Amity Park OH 44113.

Vlad. Danny had been trying to avoid thinking about his billionaire investor ever since the incident with Britt and her band. Not because of the incident itself, but because of the aftermath and the discussion he had with Vlad afterwards. As good as it felt to have someone else to talk to about his abilities the conversation itself had seemed, odd, to Danny. And looking at the address now he was reminded of the strange warmth, the way Vlad had touched him, the painting over the fire that had drawn him in. The whole experience unnerving and yet welcome. It was definitely not something the detective wanted to dwell on.

But yet here it was staring him in the face. Danny, removed the envelope and stared at it as he wandered into the kitchen, the leftover smells of breakfast still hanging in the air. He set the package down on the table and turned the envelope over in his hands. Receiving no further clues from it's outward appearance he broke the seal and pulled out the thin letter within. Danny couldn't help the slightly amused hum as he realized Vlad had written his note by hand, and on rather expensive looking stationary. Somehow it just seemed like him.

' Dear Daniel,

I hope this letter finds you well. Britt sends you her thanks and wishes you well. From what she tells me of your sister she seems to be doing much better though there is no doubt that she still has a long way to go towards recovery. Still Bern is looking after her and I'm confident that she is doing much better thanks you. I myself hope you are doing well and that you are not over working yourself too much. In that respect I have sent you an interesting artifact that recently came into my possession. Although I am not sure if it is indeed an item possessed by a spirit it is most certainly an item that I'm sure you will find of interest. Please let me know as soon as this package arrives. -sincerely, Vlad Masters'

Danny mulled this over and couldn't help the small smile that inevitably worked it's way onto his face. He shook his head at Vlad's usual bluntness and the way he completely soothed over his anxieties and doubts about him while still exciting even more. He set the letter aside however and turned to the package itself. Tearing it open with ease the detective sorted through the packing peanuts until he at last found what Vlad had sent him.

"A lamp?" Danny mused aloud in question turning the small, ornate, bronze item over and over in his hands as he studied it. It's shape reminded him of something out of 'I Dream of Genie' and he couldn't help chuckling just a bit to himself. Of course around the third time Danny turned it over it his hands he noticed how much colder the room really had become. He hadn't truly noticed it at first because it had been so chilly that morning in the first place, but he noticed it now. Where as the cold before was sweet and welcome like a refreshing drink of water, the cold that permeated the room now was stark and biting, like a plunge into an icy river. Of course he should have known anything Vlad sent him would come with a downside. The lamp was haunted, of this the detective had no doubt.

He let out a sigh and set the lamp down on the table. He stared at it for a moment bemoaning his ruined day before turning to one of the hidden compartments in the kitchen to pull out a patented Fenton Thermos. He thanked his parents for their paranoid behavior at that moment, as he always did when things went wrong at home, and attached the Thermos to his belt by a latch near it's end. And then Danny took a deep breath and turned a determined look upon the lamp sitting innocently on his kitchen table. First the detective did the obvious thing and rubbed the lamp. When that produced no results he reluctantly lifted the lid.

The kitchen filled almost immediately with green smoke and the day darkened until Danny couldn't see a foot in front of his face. He slid effortlessly into his ghost form and stood at the ready but nothing happened, the smoke simply continued to swirl around him with sweet and spicy aromas that gently teased his nose of summer and desserts and exotic places. And then the platinum- haired half-ghost nearly jumped out of his skin as an oddly warm hand came from behind to caress his jawline with all the gentleness of a lover's embrace. "Your desire is my command. Your wish is mine to grant. I live to serve your will. What wish may Desire' grant for you, my master?" A sultry voice whispered in the detective's ear.

Fighting the urge to jump, to rip himself away, just as much as he fought the urge to melt into that too-sweet voice Danny turned to face the ghost slowly. He was met with a voluptuous and sultry figure with long black hair and red eyes. Her top dipped dangerously low and her green skinned glowed as if heated by the sun. Gold glittered over her body like a princess of the eastern desert and she stared at him with lips too beautiful to be real. But the halfa shook his head at the thought that she was beautiful, he knew she must be casting some sort of spell over him for the cold room had grown uncomfortably warm, yet he had a hard time clearing his mind. Still he managed to stare down the ghost with a commanding glare.

"So what...you're the ghost of genie? Somehow I don't really believe that." he quipped, his comment forcing a small pout to form onto her plump lips. Her hand trailed away from her face and she gestured outwards with her hands. "I was not a jinn in life 'tis true. But wishes promised to me in life were denied me and so I aim to fulfill them in death my granting the wishes of others." She told him her tone NEARLY sincere. And yet the words were guarded and Danny sensed that there was more she was not telling him.

"What were your desires in life?" he asked, his tone wary and demanding.

The ghost lowered her head in defeat, though her eyes were defiant, and angry. "I desired that which was not mine to own. A kingdom, a husband above my standing, and ...power." The admitted the last slowly as if Danny were pulling the truth from her like a dentist pulling teeth. As she finished, however, she raised her head high once more and leered at the detective with hungry eyes. "But my desires are not yours? Surely there is something you want? Love perhaps? Wealth? Or is there some knowledge you wish to be privy to? Nothing is beyond my powers to give."

Danny faltered, there was something he desperately wanted to know. Something that had been weighing on his mind since he first began high school. But he had no reason to trust Desire'. He did not trust her in the least and despite her honeyed words he dared not ask for what he wanted. But by not voicing an opposition the ghost had sensed his wavering convictions and her sultry and confident smile now returned. Her hand gently reached out to stroke his cheek pulling the detective's face closer to her own as the ghost leaned over to whisper like a lover in his ear once more. "You do not protest. And yet you falter. Why do you fight what it is that I offer? I have no reason or desire to harm you. Come my master...make a wish."

Danny wanted to push her away and he squeezed his eyes tight as the smell she issued grew close to overwhelming. His mind swam and he clutched at his forehead to keep himself from stumbling over. And then she ran a hand over his shoulders and they relaxed, and the detective felt better, enough to let go of his head and turn toward her smiling lips. They barely graced over his as she giggled and traced his chin. "What do you desire?" she asked him again. And suddenly his head was clear once more though he answered nearly immediately without hesitation. "I wish I knew what might have happened if I'd never had these abilities at all."

Desire' tensed and slid off the detective so quickly it was like he had burned her. Her expression was wary and yet worried and she seemed almost reluctant as she raised her hand gracefully in the air. "So you have wished it..." she began, twirling her hand by the wrist, pulling her smoke in until it spun around her hand and then began to engulf Danny like a warm blanket. "So shall it be." her voice finished distantly as the world swam before the halfa's eyes. Everything turned green and the ground lurched underneath him, threatening to loose him from the ground, force him to his knees. But he stayed firm and when the swirling stopped and the smoke cleared he found himself still standing in his kitchen with Desire'. Yet almost instantly he knew something had changed, for everything seemed...wrong.

The light that poured into the room now came from a hole in the roof, through which snow now flowed in freely, forming a small patch that filled the corner of the kitchen where the stove normally would have been. The large bay window Danny was so familiar with was no longer there, replaced with a pile a rubble that reached the ceiling. The kitchen table lay in splinters in the doorway and the chairs were now only recognizable as the the left over bits and charred remains that littered the old sink and fridge. Cobwebs and dust hung from every corner, as if decay and death had made residence and had no intention of leaving. The detective shivered, mostly from the cold, but also from the fear that wracked him as he studied what had once been his home.

He turned toward Desire' and found that she too stared at the remnants of the kitchen with sorrow and regret. She stared at him from under bangs, as if ashamed, before shaking her head and holding herself as if protecting herself from the cold. The detective turned away from her and ran for the front door, not bothering with the walls he passed through them freely, not daring to look to see what had become to the rest of his house. He was more eager to learn what had become of the world at large, and for that he needed to get outside. Somewhere in the back of his mind Danny was aware that Desire' was following him but upon leaving the house and laying eyes on what should have been the bustling city street beyond his front door Danny forgot all about her.

The world lay in ruins. Fires raged both close and in the distance amongst war-torn buildings and rubble. The cold sun that had been so cheerful and clear before was now darkened by smoke and a shadow of gloom. The echoing cries of scavenging birds could be heard above the crackling sound of the raging flames that twisted in the lonesome wind. Amongst the charred remains of the barren city there were the grisly and decayed bodies of the dead that lay hither and thither, like leaves dropped from a tree. Some lay as if recently dead while others were but blackened skeletons still barely clinging to existence. Litter passed by on the wind and caught on severed limbs, a crow flew overhead only to land upon the body of a hapless child. The dark scene was laid bare before the detective without a single clue as to why. And Danny shook in anger and fear.

He rounded on the ghost who stood behind him, dark tears staining her face as she looked on at the tattered and burned skeleton of a child that clung to the half-burned body of another. "What happened?" the detective asked, his voice rough with emotion. Desire' choked on a sob and her shoulders shook with the effort it took to respond as calmly as she could. "The people died without a protector. A ghost with all the power of a god ravaged this world and ripped it apart at the seams."

Danny shuddered, and although he could not explain it, a familiar pair of red eyes flashed into his mind. The half-ghost shook this off however and turned bleary eyes to the sky. "My family?" he asked hesitantly. He dared not look, but he could hear the pain in Desire's voice as she replied to him. "Gone, and happily so, for he toyed with them like a cat plays with a bird whose wings are clipped."

The detective shuddered and had to take several deep breaths before he continued. "My friends?"

"The same."

No pause, the answer was expected. "Myself?"

"Made slave to his will and whims before death claimed you and even then he pursued your soul until at last you ceased to be."

He choked and struggled with the thought of his own demise, struggled with the thought that even after death he had not been allowed peace. It was a torturous idea and it made his body wrack with a shudder as familiar laughter rang in his ears. When at last he was calm again Danny struggled through one last question though it passed through his lips painfully.

"And Vlad?"

"Of him I dare not say. His fate would simply bring you tears you need not shed."

The detective took a shuddering breath before at last turning bright, burning green eyes upon the raven haired ghost, his expression grim but unreadable. "I wish to go home."

Happily Desire' raised her hand and twirled her wrist, smoke issuing and swirling around the both as she spoke, obscuring the macabre world around them. "So you have wished it. So shall it be."

Danny returned to the kitchen gasping, clinging to his table for support, clutching at his head to keep himself grounded. His mind and body wracked with a mixture of fear, anger, and revulsion. There were a million other emotions that overwhelmed him as well but they were mired and lost to him, the only proof of their existence the insane twisting of gut. He heaved, desperately attempting to hold down the breakfast Jazz had so lovingly made for him earlier, but his stomach lurched and he found it hard to feel anything but sick. Sick with the sight of what might have been.

Desire' hovered nearby, saying nothing, silently watching. The detective was struck by her patience, as well as her continued presence. When at last he had calmed down he turned his green eyes upon her and she stared back him with knowing red eyes that spoke volumes. He reached for the thermos attached to his belt. Her eyes followed him.

"What do you desire my master?" She asked him, never taking her eyes off the device in his hands.

"I wish you would disappear inside this thermos." He said clearly, removing the lid from the device and pointing it at her.

The raven-haired wish-giver bowed as she was sucked up by the light of the thermos and as he locked her away her voice lingered. "As you command."

* * *

Danny spent some time at the kitchen table even after Desire' was gone. The lamp she had been shipped to him had vanished with her and the strong and cold sunlight shone over the package that had started the whole of the events. The detective wanted to curse it for the conflicting feelings it had brought him, for the horrible scene he had witnessed. But he knew he had no one to blame but himself. He KNEW that, and yet it did nothing to ease his unrest.

For hours he turned over the thoughts in his head and studied them like one might study a book. And when no answer was forthcoming he let forth a shuddering sigh and stood, thermos in hand and went to the phone. He hesitated for a moment with the hand-held in hand staring at the lightly glowing buttons as if they might bite him. He shook his head at his foolishness though and at last punched in the number he should have called the moment the package arrived. The other line rang only once before it was picked up and Danny found himself smiling awkwardly at the sound of the voice that greeted him.

"This is Vlad Masters speaking."

"Hello Vlad it's uh...it's Danny." the detective muttered out nervously.

There was shifting sound on the other line, as if the billionaire was suddenly sitting at attention. "Daniel! A pleasure to hear from you! I take it the package I sent you arrived then?"

Danny nodded and then seemed to remember that Vlad couldn't see him and uttered a sound of agreement. "Ah...yes it did. About the lamp...did you...did you know it was possessed?" The detective asked, biting his lip. He felt guilty that he suspected the older man, even now, but the day's events had shaken him, and his detective's intuition ate at him.

"It was?" Vlad replied, sounding only mildly surprised, mostly he simply sounded....interested. "I assure you Daniel I had no idea. I would have mentioned it in my letter had I truly known. Why do you ask? Is everything all right? You don't quite sound like yourself my boy."

Danny took a deep breath, shook his head, and ran a hand through his hair. "No...I uh...I mean yes. I'm alright. I was only wondering. You ...you said to call when I received it so..."

"Of course." Vlad's tone changed, a bit of worry laced with grim understanding clear even over the phone to a voice Danny was used to sounding so confident and detached. "I appreciate the call Daniel. And now that I know that the lamp was, indeed, possessed I shall come over immediately to discuss the particulars with you. I will see you in a hour at the latest. Goodbye Daniel." And with that the other line snapped off, leaving the detective to stare at the receiver in surprise for a minute before he finally shook his head and set the hand-held back into it's charger.

At the thought that Vlad would be coming over Danny couldn't help the small, somewhat unsure, smile that spread across his face as he turned toward the stairs that lead to the basement lab. The detective descended them effortlessly, thermos in hand, intent on putting Desire' away in the vault with the other confined spirits before Vlad arrived. And as the half-ghost entered the gleaming, sterile walls of his parent's old lab he adopted his human form once more, as well as a bit of his earlier happiness. The events of earlier began to fade from his mind as everything seemed to return to normal. With the prospect of Vlad coming over for a friendly chat Danny could not help but feel his mood lift.

This was not, after all, that dark world Desire' had shown him. This was reality. And for all he knew the ghost had been lying to him when she'd shown him that terrible image. And Danny settled with that thought as he settled her away on a shelf next to Ember in the vault with all the other filled Fenton Thermos' sitting their days away. And just when the detective thought that the day might just return to that bright good day it had been that morning, the vault door closed behind him. The brunette turned, every nerve alert, suddenly shockingly aware of his visible breath in front of his face as the lights in the vault shuddered and then were snuffed out. Danny turned away from the Thermoses and whirled around, searching for the unseen spirit, ready to change into her ghostly other half.

And then, rather suddenly, Danny was forced to cold floor of the vault but unseen hands that pinned him with a familiar strength that robbed the detective of his breath. 'No!' he thought in a panic. 'This can't be happening again!' But there, floating in the darkness, were the red eyes that haunted his dreams, framed in a face of blue. Grinning fangs flashed down at him and flashed with a familiar lust that spoke of violence and dark intentions even as the familiar baritone voice washed over Danny like bucket of ice water down his spine. "So we meet again detective. Tell me...did you think of me? I've thought about you." his attacker purred, strong, and strikingly cold hands reaching up Danny's shirt to grasp at his abdomen possessively as cold blue lips descended upon his own.

The detective shuddered and clenched his teeth against the assault of the invader's tongue, pushing against him with increasing strength as his ghost form effortlessly took over. He pulled his face away but pushing up against the ghost's windpipe with his forearm, glaring with neon green eyes. "Let go of me." The halfa ground out furiously pushing against the body on top of him with his knee, to little affect. The ghost leered back at him and in an instant a shock of what felt like lighting ripped through him, setting every nerve in his body on fire as a scream ripped from his mouth. His attacker laughed in amusement and turned his accosting hands further upward, snapping open the detective's shirt and vest. "There's that scream I've been looking for." he drawled out, wet tongue trailing at the edges of Danny's mouth, across his jaw, down to his neck where sharp teeth sank in, forcing him to hiss out in pain.

The detective forced his body to stop convulsing from the pain, though it continued to twitch from the after effects of the attack on his nerves. And Danny was glad at least that he had the pain to focus on because the ghost's hands, as cold as the outside air, were dipping low, caressing and groping with an overwhelming sense of possession and obsession. With a growl the halfa struck out with a blast of ecto-energy, followed up with a punch, to his attacker's face, sending him flying backwards and forcing the unlocked vault door open and the outside light in. Danny was blinded for a minute, but was instantly to his feet following the trail of the ghost back out into the lab. But the ghost was gone. Danny whirled around with a snarl and stayed on edge for several more minutes until the sound of the doorbell ringing at last forced him to turn away from his search.

The detective flew through the floors of his home, as he had done earlier, and surrendered his ghost form as he flung open the door. And there stood Vlad Masters clear as day. Danny stared wide-eyed at him for quite awhile until the billionaire cleared his throat and Danny came crashing back down to reality. "Vlad I uh...come in. I wasn't...I thought. Has it been an hour?" The brunette stumbled over his words, feeling out of sorts as he attempted to fix his disheveled appearance. The billionaire took one look at Danny and nearly instantly his expression changed from mild surprise to full out cold anger. He pushed his way inside and slammed the door behind him, grabbing Danny by the arm and dragging him with him as he mounted the stairs two at a time. The detective attempted to mount a protest that died on his lips when he saw the way that Vlad gripped his cane in a grip so hard his knuckles had turned a ghostly white.

The billionaire forced open the door to Danny's room and pulled the detective in after him, pushing him down onto his bed before slamming the door shut behind him and promptly locking it. The older man then turned and leveled the halfa with a harsh stare. "Daniel. I want an explanation, immediately, for your appearance. And before you attempt to lie to me do remember that I am a business man and am quite used to having people lie to me and detecting when they are doing so. I will have no patience for you should you also chose to keep the truth from me. Know tell me. What did this to you. For god's sake you are bleeding."

It was not the knowledge that he was bleeding that surprised the brunette sitting upon the bed, but the anger and worry in Vlad's voice and expression as he spoke. He had truly never seen the billionaire so incensed save for when his godchildren were being threatened. Still Danny's hand did shoot to his neck and when he pulled his hand away he did indeed find that he was bleeding. "I uh..." Danny began, staring like in wonder first at his hand and then helplessly up at his financier. "I was attacked." he answered truthfully, feeling oddly compelled to do so.

Vlad's harsh expression did not waver nor change as he continued to stare Danny down. "By who?" he asked, sounding a bit more calm at the very least.

"The ghost from the museum. The one that broke my ribs."

"He bit you?"

"Amongst other things...yes."

"Was this the spirit that was possessing the lamp you mentioned?"

"No. I uh...I caught that one, she was a woman. She claimed to grant wishes she...she showed me things."

"Did she summon this ghost that attacked you?"

"I don't...I don't know. I don't think so. But she...she showed me ....things."

"What sort of things."

"What the world would have been like if I had never earned these...abilities...of mine."

And at last Vlad calmed, he took a deep breath and ran a hand over his face before staring with tired and worried eyes at Danny once more. The billionaire let out a sigh and took a seat on the bed beside Danny, folding his cane across his lap and letting his shoulders slump in a tired way. He was quiet for a long time. And while he was quiet Danny took the opportunity to fix his shirt and vest, feeling slightly ashamed of his appearance for a reason he couldn't wholly explain. And then at last Vlad turned to Danny with a calm, if somewhat concerned, stare. "Are you alright?"

Danny smiled wryly and folded his arms across his knees. "I'm fine. No broken bones, no cracked ribs this time. I'm alright."

Vlad took a deep breath and with a sort of measured move the billionaire set his cane to the side and then leveled the detective with a serious gaze, like one a parent or husband might use to gaze down a child or wife who is ignoring the true danger of a situation. Which, Danny supposed, he might have been. "I'm worried for you Daniel. If you are being attacked in your own home how can I be assured of your safety?"

Danny sat up a bit straighter, his smile fading away. "I'm alright Vlad. Really I-"

"Daniel please. For my sake do not just pass this off as some sort of fluke or a mistake. You are a friend to me, and perhaps dearer to me than you know. Do not make me worry over you more than necessary. At the very least allow me to pay for some added protection for you...if only to make myself feel better about your safety." Vlad stated, interrupting Danny when it seemed the detective would pass of the danger again.

Danny stared at the billionaire of a long time, his feelings confused. It felt odd to know that Vlad cared about him so much and it was even more odd to think about Vlad paying for added protection on his home. Truly the detective did not really want to accept but the older man leveled him with such a careful gaze that in the end Danny felt he had no option but to agree. So he sighed and at last smiled tiredly at the platinum-haired man who sat beside him. "Alright Vlad. If you insist that I need it then I guess I don't have a choice."

* * *

Neross: WEEE!! DONE! FINALLY DONE!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! *more maniacal cackling* Thank GOD!! Haha! *ahem* Sorry about that. In any case I'm rather satisfied with this chapter. Aren't you? I'm glad to have seen a return of the dubbed 'museum ghost' and all in all I feel rather happy with the progression of things. Of course I also feel terrible about how long inspiration took to hit me for this chapter so that I could finish it. But ah, Ces la vie I suppose.

p.s. The mail carrier is a bit of an homage to a neat little friend of mine who's doing me the pleasure of helping me on another little project I'm working on. And despite the fact that she has profusely told me that she doesn't read Danny Phantom fanfiction (despite being a fan) I felt like honoring her just a bit. So, this chapter is dedicated to Sauce. That's right Sauce. HONOR THE SAUCE MY DEARS!!

I any case feel free to freely tell me your free opinion. Freely. For I am eager to hear how much you freely enjoyed this newest chapter. So my dears in the meantime, look forward to more of my sweet torture won't you?


	6. Russian Sunset

Neross: Greetings my sick little darlings. I know I have left you wanting for quite some time now. I would apologize, only my excuses are rather good ones and suffice to say that circumstances have become a bit...chaotic for me. Lots of ups and downs. Some personal, some work related, and some creatively detrimental. But worry not my dears because this chapter is bound to make up for my absence. And if it doesn't...well okay THEN I'll be apologetic.

Disclaimer: All characters of the series Danny Phantom are the property of Nickelodeon and Butch Hartman. I claim to make no profit from this work nor from the use of their names and likenesses. HOWEVER, should anyone choose to steal my intellectual rights to the characters Dr. Lea Graft and Alexis Dominik then I will hunt you down and kill you ...slowly.

Warning: This fanfiction contains violence, inappropriate language, adult situations, graphic imagery, sexual situations, disturbing imagery, and general slashy goodness. Enjoy my sick little darlings.

...

The burning darkness. The ever present night. Sweet darkness you are my only friend, hiding from me all the dangers of the world. In the light my madness is revealed. In the light my physical danger is clear to see. But in the calming embrace of the dark I can sleep easy. For I know that if my death comes for me, it comes on the sweet wings of mystery. I do not fear the unknown. No, what I fear, what everyone should fear, is the knowing. To see the lion and know that it will tear you apart but be unable to prevent it. To see your own sick body and know that you are dying.

Darkness is a blessing, the night is a gift. Oh to go blind and no longer see these things that plague me. To not see the specters that so haunt my waking hours. To dream forever would be better than to wake and find that this ghost that haunts me still lingers to torment me. They call me mad, say that I am insane, because I can see her...hear her...when no one else can. But she is there, draining me of my life, my happiness, my joy. Forcing me to succumb to melancholy and despair. Oh but how I miss the sweet night that carries with her dreams of release. Of death. Of escape.

But no more. Perhaps the spirit has entered my dreams. Perhaps I truly have gone mad. Or perhaps these nightmares are a precursor to something new. I cannot tell. All that I know is that the chiming of time itself burns in my dreams, as if counting down the final hours of my life. Is it the sands of my life ticking by, death's hands closing ever closer? Or is it...?

...

Danny rocked back on his heels and tucked his hands behind his back, sick of the waiting game he had begun playing with the loud ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner. He wore his coat today, the ice cold temperatures outside only a further reminder that winter was dead set on lasting until march. He'd spent Christmas with his sister this year, new years with his parents, and with Valentine's day just around the corner the detective was expecting to spend the next few days on his own as Tucker and Valerie had made plans to leave for California wine country. At least they'd be someplace warm. And not going with him to visit his sister's mental hospital in upstate New York he added begrudgingly.

He was not surprised that it had been Vlad that had insisted on the trip. In fact, Danny was rather thankful for the chance to get out of the office and away from the new nightmares that had been keeping him awake at night. He wasn't sure if that had been Vlad's plan when he had suggested on visiting Jazz. The billionaire had, after all, suggested the trip as a way to repay Jazz's help with Britt's recovery. But that had only been after Danny had confided in Vlad about his insistent and reoccurring nightmares.

It seemed for awhile as if they would leave him alone. He hadn't had them at all when he'd gone to visit his family during the holidays and the detective had hoped they had vanished for good. But that wasn't the case. They returned with a vengeance after his first night back home in his own bed. Worse than ever and making it nearly impossible for him to get back to sleep afterward. The dreams now seemed almost urgent, as if they were a warning. There was still the ticking of the unseen clock, though it's chime grew slower as the dream progressed. There were now snippets of conversation that filled in the empty space of sound over the ceaseless ticking. Sometimes there were screams that weren't his own, at least...he thought they weren't his own. He could hear voices he remembered, voices he knew, and voices that came to him as if half remembered, all talking at once in frantic succession. Sometimes he could catch what they were saying, but most times not. And from beside him he would see a face framed in blue, red eyes leering at him with violent intent, above him another pair of red eyes, fading, that seemed to beg him for...something. And the last was a blue face he recognized but could not place with dark red eyes that held him with worry and determined emotion.

And every time Danny would reach out for that face but would be pulled back by the hands of the eyes that sough to hurt him, to possess him, to kill him. And he would wake as teeth devoured him from the inside out. The detective breathed deep and shook his head, hoping to shake loose the dream. As if in answer a warm voice chuckled from down the long corridor in which he waited. Danny turned, and straightened with a smile as Vlad stalked toward him, his coat slung over his arm, his driver not far behind him. "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting my boy. I'm afraid I had some trouble with the dreadful controls in my shower."

The brunette halfa smiled and shook his head in a noncommittal gesture. "No it's fine. I understand. I guess New Yorkers just have something against simplicity." Vlad laughed at this and gave Danny a friendly pat on the back before leading the detective out of the hotel lobby and out to where the valet had Vlad's Bentley waiting. Danny didn't really believe Vlad's excuse about the shower but he didn't allow it to show on his face as he and Vlad were chauffeured out of the hotel parking lot. The halfa felt bad enough at having allowed the CEO to take time off from his business just to indulge Danny in a needless vacation. So he allowed Vlad the lie, assuming that he'd been caught up in several business calls.

The ride to the mental hospital was as pleasant as such a ride could be. The quiet, snow-covered scenery providing a nearly poetic backdrop for their ride upstate. And the closer they got to their destination the more storybook the view outside the Bentley's windows became. It was so picturesque that Vlad and Danny lapsed into a charming bout of small talk and discussion that wiped the detective's guilt from his mind completely.

He found it was nice to chat normally with someone for once without the conversation turning to topics that Danny was normally uncomfortable talking about. Such as his condition or his family's line of work or even his own business. Instead the CEO seemed to want to talk about the time Danny had spent with his family, how Tucker and Valerie's relationship was going, how Sam was doing in Alaska with her environmental suit against governmental oil drilling, and about sports. Vlad seemed earnest, honest, and interested in his talk with Danny, even laughing at times when the brunette made a witty observation or comment. Time and destination forgotten the billionaire and the half ghost settled into a friendly and warm world of their own.

Danny was even feeling rather excited, even curious, about visiting his sister's place of work. A feeling that stuck with him even as they pulled up to the doors of 'Cherrywood Mental Health Facility and Recovery Center'. The building seemed charming enough on the outside, though it was an old hospital that had been built back in the late nineteenth century, back when mental illness was treated with more harsh methods. Like lobotomy and electro-shock therapy. The cold air was biting but pleasant like the first bite of a snow cone on a unbearably hot summer day. And Vlad and Danny both let out a small laugh at the way the sharp air cut into their lungs with sharp and frozen dexterity.

The driver took the Bentely around the corner to the sheltered parking lot while Danny led the way to the large sliding glass front doors. The heat within the building was suffocating. Perhaps it was because the hospital smelled of antiseptic and rubbing alcohol, perhaps it was because after the pleasant cold the heat from the building was like stepping into an oven. Danny chalked it up to his heavy jacket however and ignored the uncomfortable twisting in his gut.

The bright florescent lighting of the lobby left no way for shadows. And the lack of shadows, for Danny, was more unnerving than the heavy air or the sick smell that seemed to cling to the walls. There was a small, thin, blonde woman in her mid to late thirties sitting behind the blocky reception desk. She had looked up as the doors had opened and had pulled her white coat a bit closer to her body as the cold air blew in. Now she released her grasp on her coat and adjusted her stylish rectangular glasses upon her small pixie-like nose. Her sharp, slightly icy blue eyes stared out at them with the evaluating gaze of a teacher.

However as they shrugged off their coats the woman's gaze returned to the computer screen before her and the spread sheet that danced across it's screen. Danny took in the woman's appearance without really meaning too, observing her as she had them when they'd walked in. She wore a cream-colored turtle neck atop a long pleated brown skirt. Around her neck was a gold necklace with beads of amber and some sort of red wood.

The woman herself was small and was dwarfed behind the square, blocky, and tall reception desk. Her thin form spoke of motherhood in her wide hips and the worn wrinkles around her eyes, although Danny wasn't quite sure why that had been the conclusion he had come to. Her short blonde hair with it's unique streaks of light brown framed her chin and gave her oddly sharp features a softer look to them. And although she sat staring at a computer screen Danny was strictly aware of her ramrod straight spine and posture.

When at last Vlad and Danny had removed their outer wear, the woman stood and pulled out a clipboard from somewhere to her right that Danny couldn't quite see over the large counter-top. She nodded to them and smiled in a somewhat weary way as she came around the desk to meet them. The detective found himself staring down at her by at least a foot but found himself being intimidated by her sharp and direct gaze.

She held out a small thin hand with finely manicured nails for Danny to shake. Which he did gladly, finding her grasp more firm than he had assumed it would be."Good Morning. Welcome to Cherrywood hospital. I'm Dr. Lea Graft, head of psychiatric care here at the hospital. You must be Daniel Fention and Vlad Masters. Jazz informed me of your visit today. I have some paperwork I'll need you to sign and then I can hand over your visitor passes." The woman's voice was louder than Danny expected and oddly enough was clearly Californian with an intelligent tilt that was as direct as her eyes.

Danny wasn't surprised when it was Vlad that stepped forward first, setting his coat across the counter so that his hands were free to take the clipboard she offered. He shook her hand as well before the CEO stared down at the paperwork she expected them to sign and posed his first question even as he removed a pen from his pocket. "I assume these forms are for insurance claims?" Vlad asked his voice taking on a business like tone. Dr. Lea nodded in one swift bob that oddly made no movement in her hair, other to dislodge one lock of hair that had been tucked behind her ear. She tucked it back, revealing a sharp pair of amber-drop earrings with gold wiring.

"They are also to inform you that we are not responsible for any harm that should come to you on behalf of one our patients. And as our patients are not under any position, legally, to be prosecuted for claims of assault, slander, battery, and so on and so forth. Should you choose to file any legal action it shall be handled by the family of our patients or, if the family is either unwilling or unable, the insurance company that covers our patient's care. You don't have to sign it of course but I'm sure you're aware of the bureaucracy that is involved in this sort of thing." the doctor explained. Danny found her direct tone nearly entertaining, and when he caught the roll of her eyes the detective couldn't help but smile.

Vlad was smiling again as well and even chuckled at the comment towards needless bureaucracy. He signed and initialed where the paperwork asked for it and then handed the clipboard over to Danny who didn't even bother to read it as he simply went through and signed wherever there was an 'x'. He smiled up over the clipboard however and posed the question he'd been meaning to ask since they'd first walked through the doors. "Is Jazz seeing many patients today, I was a little worried about getting in the way of her work with this visit."

Dr. Lea tilted her head and let out a long breath, not of impatience but of simple weary acceptance. "As far as I know Jazz is seeing three of her patients today. But you're welcome to sit in on her sessions if you'd like. All I ask is that you don't do anything to upset or aggravate any of our patient's conditions. I suggest not talking directly to any of our patients unless Jazz or myself say it's alright. And whatever you do, do not touch anything belonging to our patients. Keep to yourself and you should be fine."

Danny and Vlad exchanged glances and then looked back to the doctor and nodded simultaneously. Dr. Lea smiled and turned on her heel. "Follow me then."

...

Blood. There was blood on her hands today. Or maybe it was on mine?Was it someone else's blood on her hands? Was it her own? Was it my blood? Was it my own blood on my hands? Did it belong to someone else? Was it her blood? Had she murdered someone as I slept? Had I? Maybe I really am insane. But these questions burn to be asked because she's so content to torment me and I can no longer tell, (whether because of the drugs, my own insanity, or her foul malcontent) what actions are hers and which are truly mine.

She has possessed me. That demon woman who watches as I sleep. She has made me move before, against my will. But there is no one who believes me. And now the blood. I didn't want to think about it. Didn't want to know. But it was there. Just as the clock chiming was there, now in my waking hours. Was my death near at hand? My time to go to god? That god which governs time and death. For those two elements are so intertwined. Death is only a matter of time. And my time is running out. Every thing's time shortens, I reason. It runs out for everyone. Everyone dies when their time at last runs out.

Death is only a matter of time I reiterate to myself, to her. She glares. I don't care, she's dead and she hasn't accepted it. Her time ran out, and my time marches on towards my death. There is a clock in the corner of my pale blue room and it ticks ever closer as it tells time. For that is what a clock is. A device used to tell time. And we tell time to remind ourselves that it goes on, that death happens, that death only ever happens in time. A clock, in truth, is like the ticking hands of death. It tells us when we die as if it could see the future and the past and the present all as one. How does my clock work,I wonder. How will it tell my death? I wonder if her clock ever worked at all. For she worries even now about the end, about her time...about age. And I can see them, the red eyes of fate watching her as she watches me.

...

As Danny and Vlad descended into the depths of the mental hospital the private detective couldn't help but feel he wasn't in the right place. It seemed like the hospital was mostly empty, there were a few patients that seemed to wander on their own but they didn't act ...well...crazy. It all seemed so very normal. Which was odd. A sensation much like something was amiss began to grow at the base of Danny's spine and it rooted itself there with cold metal clasps that had him shivering involuntarily. As they walked Dr. Lea talked about the building and it's history, as well as how it functioned differently today compared to the past.

Vlad paid rapt attention and would comment or nod when he seemed to feel it was warranted. He asked about the funding the hospital received, about the techniques they used on patients, about everyday methods as well as extreme cases, and he seemed particularly interested in the studies that had been done on the patients themselves. Dr. Lea assured Danny, after he had been perturbed to learn that patients were being studied as well as receiving treatment, that the studies were anything but invasive and for the most part patients never even knew they were being studied. The only time there ever seemed to be problems with the procedures of actually studying what part of their brain was causing their illness was when the hospital had to perform CAT scans. Since it was better if patients were not sedated there were times when the scan could be down-right traumatizing for both patient and staff. Although, Dr. Lea admitted with a sort of shameful smile, most patients went through the scans no worse for wear and those who would truly pose a threat to themselves or others were more often mildly sedated to ease the process for everyone involved.

It seemed oddly cruel to Danny and he mentioned this. And at his statement Dr. Lea's little nose crinkled and her face was set with a look of mild disappointment, like a teacher dealing with an ignorant student.

"We have only begun study of mental illness in the past few hundred years Mr. Fenton. We still have very little knowledge on what causes mental illness in people. The more we know the better we are equipped to treat the disease or condition and return the patient to living happily in society. That is the ultimate goal of this place Mr. Fenton. Most patients are sent here by their families and there are few to none who could afford to keep them here indefinitely. Our goal is to make it easier for our patients to ease into a life where they can live happily with their families. They may never be what society wants or needs them to be but they will at least be able to function in their homes and live happily. Some part of what we do may seem cruel to you, but please understand that it is done in the interest of providing treatment or even a cure to the very patients who we study. When Anne Sulliven set out to teach Helen Keller she did so knowing that she could not coddle the girl...because she understood the outside world will not take care of those who cannot function in every day society, Mr. Fenton. It destroys them, forces them onto the streets where they receive no care and are treated akin to stray dogs." As she spoke her eyes took on the gleam of someone who was justified, and angry.

Daniel, at first taken aback by the short woman's lecture, gave a small understanding smile. "I apologize Dr. Lea and I appreciate your honest answer. You'd think I'd know more about this sort of thing with Jazz for a sister but...I guess I just don't like to think about it."

Dr. Lea studied him for a moment and then rose her head as if she were proud of him and nodded. "It's hard for anyone to think about Daniel. Now...this way please." And she led them onward, toward the center of the building.

They had only just turned a corner of the building when Danny became convinced that he was being watched. Like an obscure itch at the back of his neck the detective just couldn't shake Danny could feel eyes watching him. He turned and found himself staring at the most wild looking blonde haired boy he had ever seen. The boy stared at their group in horror with wide dark eyes that were hallowed and framed by dark shadows. The boy was tan and angular and looked as if he was more likely to be found running on a track or flying across a stage on trapeze than to spend a day inside.

And then the boy began to scream. He screamed on and on endlessly watching their group as if they were the devil himself. Danny and Vlad clapped their hands over their ears but Dr. Lea was already grasping the boy by the shoulders and hurrying him back into his pale blue room. But Danny was stuck watching him, just as the boy seemed to be stuck staring at him in blind horror. And slowly, as Dr. Lea talked him down in her calm and direct way the boy began to quiet until at last the screaming became nothing but sobbing and whimpers.

And Danny stared at the boy almost in wonder as the boy stared at him in straight fear. Those dark eyes gazed at him as if they would do nothing else in the world but flee from him ...or kill him. And then Danny heard something sweet, familiar and calming come from his right. "I heard the screaming! Is it Alexis again Dr. Lea?" Danny turned and had to fight the smile that wanted to work it's way onto his face at the sound of his sister's voice. She came running down the hall, a white lab coat billowing out around her blue top and black slacks. Danny looked to his sister hopefully, but she blew past him in an instant and worked to help Dr. Lea tuck the boy back into his room. The blonde haired wraith made a mad grasp for Jazz, clinging to her arm life a life-vest at sea. His dark eyes however moved past her to stare at Danny and Vlad in a strange mixture of fear, suspicion and hope.

Jazz gently pulled the boy loose from her arm and kneeled down to look the boy in the eye, clasping him by the shoulders and giving him a gentle but slightly stern smile. "It's okay Alexis. That's my brother Danny, and his friend Mr. Masters. Remember? I showed you his picture from when we were little? I told you they would be coming today. Do you remember?" she asked him, steady and calm. Her voice did not lean into a voice someone might use when speaking with a child, or someone of lesser or equal intelligence. Instead Jazz seemed to make sure her voice was respectful and attentive. The boy at last turned his dark eyes to her...and nodded slowly. "I...remember." he told her, his voice unusually deep for a child so small, and thick with some sort of eastern european accent. Danny guessed Russian.

Jazz turned to look at her brother and his billionaire investor standing behind them and gestured for them to come closer. Both were hesitant and Danny did not dare move until Vlad had already gone to stand beside his sister. The silver-haired billionaire knelt and gave the boy a gentle smile. The blonde boy tried to reciprocate, but his smile was ruined by the twitch of his lips and the oddly sharp points of his teeth. If possible the boy looked even more like some sort of wicked and wild creature when he smiled than when he stood glaring in suspicion. Danny stepped into the room hesitantly, freezing when he felt a chill run down his spine, moving again only when his sister grabbed at his sleeve. Unlike the other two Danny flopped down on the floor and sat and held out his hand for the boy, his gaze as measuring as the tiny psychopath's. "Hi there. I'm Danny Fenton...Jazz's brother."

The boy looked from Danny's hand to his face and then back again. Then, in a movement so quick Danny nearly pulled his hand back in shock the boy grasped his hand in his own and shook it hard three times before letting it go just as quickly. In the moment their hands connected Danny could feel calluses and hardness and the leathery feel of hands used to hard labor. It was not what the detective had been expecting a child's handshake to feel like. Somehow he had expected soft hands and little strength. But that was obviously not so. "Alexis Dominik." The boy said quietly. Danny almost thought he'd spoken wrong at first for the way the boy pronounced his name it sounded more like "Alexy" and not"Alexis" as Jazz and had called him earlier.

"A proper young russian aren't you?" Vlad mused, directing the boys attention back to him. The boy studied him like a wary and rather agitated snake or cat might. The muscles in his neck and shoulders obviously tensing, as if he might jump away at any second. His head and eyes twitched subtly as he studied the billionaire and at last Alexis nodded. "Yes."

Vlad nodded, as if absently and crossed his hands over his cane. "Where in Russia were you born dear boy?"

Alexis' shoulders pulled up like a cat's fur might expand when backed into a corner, but the boy did not back down."Perm." Vlad nodded as if he was already aware of this but otherwise made no comment about the boy's birthplace."And what of your parents Alexis. Where were they from?" At this question the boy actually seemed to calm, his shoulders seeming to relax a bit though his dark eyes suddenly became quiet interested in the billionaire's cane and his oddly twisted smile returned. "My Mother was Ursari from Bulgaria. My father was Ruska Roma from Leningrad."

At this Vlad's sharp steel-blue eyes also lit up and the two suddenly seemed to mirror looks of wicked interest. "A descendant of the Romani. Your parents were gypsies?" Alexis nodded, his blonde hair dancing upon his head. Apparently that was enough of an interview for Dr. Lea however, as she let out a quiet and indignant huff of irritation and pulled the boy away from the adults. "That's quite enough I think Mr. Masters. Alexis does not need this kind of stimulation. Especially not after such an episode. Jasmine if you would please give Daniel and Mr. Masters the rest of the tour. "

Jazz stood immediately and nodded sheepishly, Danny following suit just as quickly but Vlad stood slowly, his eyes never once glancing away from the dark depths of the russian boy who stared at them all with wild hunger. The boy unnerved Danny and the detective hurried after his sister, Vlad following them both almost reluctantly. They traveled the halls quietly now, and at a much quicker pace. The rooms whisking by Danny without any real significance or another incident. And at last they came to a large office behind a sturdy door with a small square window. Jazz ushered both of her visitors inside and Danny was relieved to find himself in a comfortable room with two long, tan couches, a small glass coffee table, a long blue-topped dinning table with six matching blue, plastic chairs and a fully stocked kitchen.

The detective gratefully took a seat when Jazz offered it and was thankful when Vlad chose to sit across from him to allow space for the siblings to sit together. Jazz brought them both a cup of coffee and the situated herself on the couch beside her brother with a cup of her own, already half empty. "I'm sorry about that. Alexis is normally very...well he's not good with visitors but he normally doesn't start screaming at them. We actually have to worry more about him hurting visitors or other patients. This is the first time I've seen him scared of other people."

Danny hesitated for a moment, gazing into the shifting steam from his drink before at last he turned to his sister in an unsure way. "What's wrong with him?"

Jazz bit her lip and looked pityingly at her half-ghost brother. "We believe he has schizophrenia, along with post traumatic stress and...some other more serious behavioral problems. It's hard to pin down exactly what's wrong with him because what family he had didn't have much of a medical history. And that's what we could find. His parents alone were very difficult to locate. Beyond them it becomes nearly impossible to find any sort of documentation. The most we've been able to gather was that his grandfather was imprisoned at a nazi labor camp back in world war two."

Vlad took a final moment to finish a sip of from his own cup and set it down on the table once more before he settled Jazz with a careful stare and asked his own daring question. "You said you had trouble locating his parents? Didn't they turn him in to this facility for treatment?"

Jazz shook her head and her expression became slightly irritated. "No. He was sent here for treatment after he was tried for murder. Technically he's here in the country because of political asylum but that was only granted to him after he arrived here and had begun his treatment. Before that he was smuggled in to the country illegally."

This time it was both men who stared at the red-headed doctor with mirroring looks of mixed concern and amazement. "Smuggled in by who?" Danny asked at last, setting his own cup down and staring at his sister with rapt attention, shifting his seat on the couch as if to pay more attention.

Jazz's lips twitched into a frown and a look of righteous fury reached into the depths of her eyes. "His parents essentially sold him to the mob to pay off their debts. They smuggled him in to the country nearly ten years ago as a child prostitute."

Danny swore under his breath and Vlad's eyes slowly narrowed into a furious glare despite himself. It was horrible to think about. And it was hard to imagine anyone who would willingly couple with the wild looking youth they'd found screaming in the hall. It was even harder to imagine anyone sleeping with him as just a young and innocent child. It was a few good moments before the next question was posed. This time with furious and indignant undertones.

"How did he go from being a victim to committing murder?" Danny asked, running a hand through his dark hair as he stared, not at his sister, but at his coffee. Her voice coming to him as if from afar as he began to picture the boys desperate life taking place in his mind. It made him sick to his stomach.

"I don't think Alexis ever let himself become a victim without taking something from his attacker in return. He's got a lot of scars that speak of restraints and there are quite a few across his chest and back from where someone must have attempted to cut off his clothes while he struggled. Eventually I think it became too much for him and he simply lashed out at whoever he could. I don't know whether you'd call it luck or coincidence but the man he murdered was a senator who the FBI believed to be on the mob's pay roll. They had him under surveillance and were going to raid his hotel room the night that Alexis killed him. When they finally broke down the door Alexis had killed both the senator and his handler from the mob. The FBI had wanted to use Alexis for information about the mob's dealings here in the U.S. but his mental stability made that impossible. He'd attack every agent, lawyer, or social worker they sent in to talk to him. I hear he even ripped open one therapist's face when they tried to gauge his mental condition. Eventually it was decided that for his safety as well as the safety of others it would be best if he were sent here for treatment. He had been doing much better until he began to claim he could see someone in his room and began attacking other patients in their sleep. Before he took full responsibility for his actions, even the murders, but now he just keeps blaming the attacks on a ghost."

Danny's head shot up and he stared at his sister with a look of shock. " A ghost? Jazz why didn't you-"

His sister leveled him with a glare before he could finish and immediately snapped at him. "Of course I thought it might actually be a ghost Danny. That's why I asked to help treat him. I had to pull a lot of strings and call in a lot of favors to get the doctor in charge of his treatment to accept me as his secondary practitioner." Her expression softened and his sister's lips turned down in frustration, her eyes showing despair. "But I don't think there is a ghost Danny. There's nothing like what we went through when you-." Jazz stopped herself and stared up at Vlad in a nervous way and slightly ashamed way, much like someone being caught talking about a family secret in front of a stranger. Which, Danny supposed, was exactly what was going on.

The detective placed a supportive hand on his sister's shoulder, and gave her a nearly apologetic smile. "It's okay Jazz Vlad knows."

The red-head sat up right and stared at her brother with a mixture of trepidation and relief. "He does? When did this happen?"

"During the incident with Britt." Danny explained, his eyes briefly dancing across to Vlad who merely smiled shallowly over the edge of his cup of coffee.

Jazz's own lips turned up into a smile filled with pride. "I see." she said softly before nodding as if she knew that it might happen. She settled back into her seat and looked to both men with a suspect smile. "Well I'm glad you've warmed up to somebody other than Tucker and Sam. Not that they're not great friends." she added when her brother shot her a look. "I just think it's nice that you have someone else you can trust with this. Someone outside of your high-school friends and your family."

"Speaking of Jasmine. Do you think it might be alright for Danny and I to take a little more time to examine Alexis? I'm sure Danny will be able to tell once and for all whether or not the boy truly is being haunted and I find myself curious as to know the outcome." Vlad positioned the question carefully, his tone akin to someone asking to borrow a cup of sugar as he set down his cup once more and folded his hands over the head of his cane.

Jazz bit her lip in consideration for a moment before at last she nodded and stood slowly. "Alright. But I just want the two of you to be careful with him. Alexis isn't stable, ghost or no. I don't want him to get hurt...or to hurt you."

Danny stood last, feeling rather like he was being led by a leash but found that he'd been just as curious as Vlad seemed to be. "We'll be careful." the detective promised.

Jazz nodded and then sighed and led them back out the door of the staff room and down the hall to the room where they'd come across the wild Russian boy.

...

It was him! But how? How? How can he live in skin when he has haunted my dreams without flesh? How can the dead also be living? No...no it's not possible. But, he was there. He was THERE. He stood there like the walking death. And in that moment I felt fear bloom in the depths of my flesh. In the heart of my soul I felt a true fear. But he did not know of his flesh. Or...does he know but pretend ignorance? Is he waiting to strike out at me and rip my soul from my flesh? No ...no ...I have no desire to be like him. No desire to be like HER. A soul tied to this ever burning world.

But I do not think he wants me. He shows interest...but I am not what he lusts for. Not what he desires. He looks at me and does not see me. I am safe from him...at least for now. He does not want my soul. Nor my flesh. But the eyes of fate are following him. Following the other. And she is fascinated by them. She sees them as I see them and wants them. She seeks to torment them now because they will feed her dark needs.

Should I stop her? Should I stop the massacre I know will come? No. No I will not give the warning I should. I will watch her pay...and I will be happy for it. I will watch her soul be ripped down to it's roots as it should be for her foul nature. And then I will be free of her. Free to face the world again. And I'll watch it burn again...I'll be...happy again...just once more. Until I find them. Until then...until then...until THEN mama. Wait for me. We'll watch the world burn together.

...

Alexis was lying on his bed when they came back to his room. He was lounging like any teenager might, staring up at the white ceiling of his room with a strange smile spread across his face, his pointed teeth making him look like some demon in repose. He had one leg propped up and his arms crossed behind his head, as if perfectly at ease. He didn't move when they entered the room and Jazz didn't seem surprised though Danny found it slightly disturbing. Vlad came in last and shut the door behind them. And only then did Alexis seem to acknowledge their presence. He sat up slowly, slinging an arm over his leg to stare with his dark eyes at the two men and the doctor in his room with that same strange smile. "You are back." He said, almost happily, before his smile slowly fell and he looked back to the ceiling above his head. "She is happy you are. I told her dat you would see her. But she does not believe me." The boy said absently his thick accent slightly slurring his words.

Danny followed his gaze to the ceiling and felt cold breath escape his lips. He wasn't surprised. Hanging over Alexis' head was a dark shadow in the vague shape of a woman. She stared at Danny with a look not so different from the boy's not moments before. A wicked grin filled with pointed teeth, framed by wicked eyes. Danny couldn't help but smirk back the woman. "Well...hello to you too." Vlad and Jazz both turned their heads to Daniel in surprise and Danny couldn't help but see the worry there as well. They couldn't see her. But he could...and so could Alexis.

And suddenly Danny thought he understood why the boy had screamed when he'd first spotted them in the hall. The detective turned his bright blue eyes to match the deep, dark, of Alexis' brown gaze and his expression filled with clarity. "You can see me...the ghost half of me." The boy merely nodded though a slow smile worked it's way onto his lips. "Not dead but not living...interesting...and frightening." the boy said after a moment before his gaze slowly shifted once more to the shadowy figure above his bed. Danny followed his trail of sight and couldn't fight the smile that worked it's way onto his lips. What he was about to do this ghost was more than what she deserved. "Don't worry. I'll take care of her."

The next instant Danny felt the familiar change come over him. Not a second later he was on the shadow like a vengeance, pulling her through the roof with him into the mostly empty second floor. Here it was obvious there was some construction work going on as flaps of industrial plastic hung from the ceiling to seal off sections of the empty space they had flown into. Dust hung in the air and on the tools scattered across the floor and workbenches gathered hither and tither with some sort of plan that Danny didn't have time to analyze. He was too preoccupied with the creature the THING, clinging to him, shrilly laughing in his ear.

He blasted her away from him and skidded across the wall from the force glaring up at her as she recovered quicker than he'd have liked and stared him down with an evil grin filled with perfectly white pointed teeth. She looked like something out of a nightmare. "But not your nightmares detective. Yours are much more wicked. Much more...revealing." The shadow cackled. Danny faltered and looked at her in shock. "You read my mind?"

The ghost cackled once more and then it's form shifted and Danny found himself staring at a gorgeous woman in a red business suit that matched her equally red hair. She wore a pair of stylish black heels and a pair of cat-eyed glasses that gave her the appearance of some sort of stereotypical naughty lawyer or teacher. But her smile was still filled with those eerily perfect white pointed teeth and Danny was still quite sure he wanted nothing more than to punch her through another layer of wall. This time without phasing through it. "Studying a patient's mind was always my specialty. I just loved getting under their skin to what was REALLY bothering them. "

Danny glared at her, realizing what she had been doing to the poor boy she'd been haunting...and what she was attempting to do to him. "You're sick."

The women pushed out her lower lip in a false pout and looked at him from over the brim of her glasses. "Now that wasn't very nice." and then she grinned. "Especially coming from a freak like you who doesn't belong in the world of the living or the dead."

Danny shot at her without thinking. Slamming a fist into her face backed up by a surge of ecto-plasmic energy. She reeled, but she didn't go flying. Instead she slowly turned her head, her eyes lowering into a fierce glare. "And THAT...was just rude." She back-handed him and sent him landing into the adjacent wall, his head reeling from the blow. He stumbled to his feet and took a fighting stance once more with a glare. "You've been feeding off of Alexis."

The ghost gave a smirk. "And so many like him before he even came. I will admit that he's the first to actually SEE me. But it makes it so much more fun to toy with him. He has so much potential. Why one day he could grow up to become the world's most famous serial killer. I was thinking of starting with the patients and then moving on to your sister."

Danny reacted without thinking once more. This time encasing her in ice before punching through her with enough force to bring down a house. She shattered and Danny stood panting over the pieces of her body with a look as cold as the weather just outside the walls of the sanitarium. He turned away from what was left of her, sure she was finished for good, and then he heard the laughter echo in the air around him. The lights went out and Danny's body froze. His mind panicked. Not here. Not now! Not again! He swung around, expecting an attack, becoming frantic when none came even after several moments. And then he heard a shrill laughter echo in the air around him.

"Look at you! A grown man so frightened of the dark! Afraid the boogeyman will come? I wonder are you afraid he'll shatter your ribs again? Or are you more afraid of his violent caresses?" She laughed and Danny glared at the darkness around him, his fear ebbing. He gazed around him and tried to make out anything in the dark but all he could see was shifting shapes of the plastic shielding and the immovable forms of the work benches. "You're quite the piece of work detective. Making friends with a man you don't wholly trust. Searching for answers to a dream that haunts you. And all the while you submerse yourself in grief and guilt over how your accident has hindered the lives of your family and friends. I wonder how you'll ruin the life of that man downstairs? You two are just the cutest duo."

She laughed again and Danny at last saw the pin-points of white that were her perfect white teeth. He smiled to himself and shot out a blast of ecto-engery, making her scream. The lights flickered on once more and the detective used the advantage to grab her by the neck and pin her to the floor. He gripped harder than he should have...he didn't care...she scratched at his hand desperately, gasping. He ignored her and pulled out his thermos. "No more talking."

...

When Danny returned to Alexis' room, he returned via the stairs, shocking Dr. Lea on the way as she was returning to the front desk. She questioned him quite thoroughly on how he'd gotten upstairs and was incredibly displeased by his excuse of simply 'getting lost'. Thankfully the doctor didn't have time to find fault with his story as the phone began to ring and Danny managed to escape down the hall without further incident. He found the room easily enough and smiled wearily at the group gathered there. Sadly it was only Alexis who looked rather happy with his reappearance and didn't seem to care that he hadn't returned the same way as he had left. He only took one look at the thermos in Danny's hand and grinned with dark and vengeful glee.

Jazz and Vlad on the other hand asked him a multitude of questions. They wanted the details and wanted to know if he was alright. They asked about the crash they'd heard from the floor above and his sudden disappearance. They asked him about the ghost and what had occurred between them. And Danny, for his part, told them what he could. He skipped quiet a deal of the dialogue as it had been very personal and...shaming as well to hear. He wasn't about to repeat the whole conversation now that it could actually be heard. And he lied outrightly about how he had captured the ghost. He was ashamed of himself for the way he'd handled the situation and had no desire to ever tell either his sister or...Vlad...about how he'd given in to his anger.

But after he was done with his re-telling they all settled down and let a semi-comfortable silence settle. Until, that was, Dr. Lea found them all and promptly informed them that it was best that they just leave. Apparently she had discovered the damage upstairs and come to her own conclusions. So, begrudgingly, Vlad and Danny stood and said their goodbyes and headed for the door. They were standing on the doorstep, waiting for Vlad's car to arrive, when a shout from behind them drew their attention away. At the door stood Alexis, his wild blonde hair flung about his face as he grinned at them both with his wicked teeth and dark eyes. Danny smiled back nervously and Vlad looked at the boy with approval and something akin to awe at the way the boy stood barefoot in the snow in his hospital shirt and pants without even a hint of a shiver. The russian trotted up them both and tugged Danny down by his sleeve, rather abruptly, to speak into his ear.

"She told me dat you share my strange dream. So I will tell something that made it better for me. The ticking clock rings like warning. If you listen to it...you will see dem."

Danny stared at the boy incredulously and let a question spill from his lips. "See who?"

The russian pulled away slightly so he could look the detective in the eye and Danny was surprised to see the boy's dark eyes flash gold. "The eyes of fate. Dey watched her. Now dey watch you." And before the detective could ask further Alexis pressed his lips quickly to his and pulled away with a wicked grin, leaving the detective stunned as the russian boy then turned to Vlad and cocked his head to the side as if in challenge. "You will come back da? I want to see what you hide."

Vlad's eyes twitched for a moment, his expression becoming guarded. "And what makes you think I'm hiding something?" he asked, his tone even, leaning down to smirk at the boy. Alexis simply smirked back, the briefest glimmer of teeth showing as his lips pulled back over his jaw. "Everyone hiding something. What you hide just much more interesting." And then the boy pulled the billionaire forward and repeated the fast kiss he had placed upon Daniel's lips upon Vlad's. And with a satisfied nod and a muttered farewell in Russian the boy disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.

The detective and billionaire bachelor stood in the snow for several moments, watching the lingering trail of the enigmatic boy before at last Danny shook his head and laughed at the cruel twists fate offered. By the time the Bentley pulled up Vlad was bent over in laughter with him.

...

It was several days later when Danny got a call from his sister that caused his blood to run cold and in an absent way his lips burned from a ridiculous memory of standing in the snow. Alexis hadn't returned to his room after his encounter with Danny and Vlad out in the cold. Instead he had slaughtered his attending doctor, Dr. Bert Rand, and stolen his car, wallet, and passport. The FBI had searched for him endlessly but had been unable to pick up his trail in the U.S.

Two weeks later Vlad brought Danny a newspaper written in Russian a picture of a man and woman on the cover, both familiar in a distant way. Vlad read the paper to him since Danny had no understanding of Russian. The man and woman were Victor and Elana Dominik, a pair of Romani gypsies. Elana was a prostitute, and Victor was a known gambler. They were married. They had once had a child who one day disappeared. They had always claimed he had been given up for adoption so that he could have a better life. His name had been Alexis. What was left of their bodies was found in the rubble of their house after a fire. There was evidence they had both been murdered. There were no suspects.

A week after that Danny received a letter that chilled him to the bone worse than any chill he'd felt on behalf of a ghostly presence.

Dear Danny,

Is the clock still chiming in your dreams? It has stopped for me.

Das vi danya Tovarish,

Alexis

The next day Jazz called him and he could hear the tears as she told him they'd found Alexis' body. The police claimed he'd been attacked by a mountain lion just a hundred yards outside of the Cherrywood Mental Health Facility and Recovery Center. That night Alexis' voice stood out against the din of the others in his dream. He was laughing and he told him that the clock had stopped for him...it would stop for everyone. And Danny awoke covered in sweat, afraid, but oddly comforted by the dark. For a moment he sat staring up at the dark ceiling before at last he closed his eyes and muttered to the night. "Goodbye ...my friend."

...

Neross: Okay. So. This was a chapter that was particularly hard for me to write. For several reasons. One of the main reasons being that while in the process of writing this my favorite cousin was checked into a mental hospital after suffering from a mental breakdown.

It also did not help that during this chapter I had to put myself in the shoes of a character with psychotic tendencies. I found myself going to dark places inside myself that I DO NOT like visiting and found it very hard to write this chapter the way I wanted without dipping TOO much into horror. I did not intend for this story to be a horror story. I still don't. So it was a challenge for me to write the proper amount of creep-factor without completely ruining the feel of the story thus far.

ANYway. Please remember that I update faster when you review and leave me something to go off of. So please, review, review, review. And, until next time my dear sick darlings. Please stay tuned for more of my sweet torture.


	7. Time Goes By

Neross: Welcome back my sick little darlings! Did you all have a wonderful holiday? Well I hope you had one as wonderful as mine my dears. And in case you didn't then I hope this next chapter makes up for it. But please take note my darlings this chapter may be quickly followed by the next one...or it may be some time until the next. You see...I have a very important birthday coming up in March...and I will be celebrating it by spending a week and a half in Vegas. So if you want the next installment my dears than I suggest you tell me how I'm doing and what you think of my illustrious writing.

But until then my dears please enjoy Chapter 7.

Warning: This fanfiction contains violence, inappropriate language, adult situations, graphic imagery, sexual situations, disturbing imagery, and general slashy goodness. Enjoy my sick little darlings.

...

Danny wanted to forget all about his trip to the mental hospital. Wanted to forget all about the wild little russian boy he'd met there. He wanted to forget the ghost who'd brought such rage and blood thirst out of him. And mostly he wanted to forget the deaths that now weighed on his conscious. Not only Alexis' death, but the death of his doctor...and of his parents. Because if Danny had just made sure that that made little boy had made his way back inside...then none of them would be dead now.

The detective had wanted to believe that Alexis would be alright. That freeing him from the presence of the ghost would be enough to set him to rights. But Danny had been wrong. And now he had to make peace with the deaths that were on his hands. It made him lose what little sleep he had after his now nightly nightmare. The only saving point, the only thing that made his days worthwhile, were the visits from his investor.

After their trip up north Vlad now spent a great deal of his time with the half ghost. And Danny was grateful for it. The billionaire bachelor helped him keep his mind off the things that plagued him in the night with witty conversations and fine afternoons spent outside of his office. However, all good things come to an end. And, much to Danny's dismay, the end came by his own doing.

Truly, it was mostly the lack of sleep that made his situation spin out of control, but in the end he had no one to blame but himself.

It happened one day when Danny sat, his head bowed before his computer screen, trying to get his taxes in order before the spring finally erupted from the last days of March. He had hoped to have them finished before Vlad came by (they'd made plans earlier that week to take a trip to the metropolitan library) but sadly Danny's sluggish brain simply could not make sense of the numbers blinking away on his screen. His eyes were constantly begging to close and his head felt like it was filled with sand...but he resisted the sleep that ate at him.

And then, as if from beside him, a voice whispered in his ear. "Why stay awake? Just a short nap wouldn't hurt anyone. Who would know?"

The detective's brow knitted together. That was wrong...something...was wrong. Yet he couldn't think what it was and he heard himself mumble "Who...would know?" He leaned back in his chair and let his eyes drift shut. He wasn't asleep...not yet. But...he must be...because he felt warm...as if a blanket had been placed over him and he felt a gentle and warm embrace surround his shoulders as that sweet voice drifted once more into his ear. "Yes Danny...who would know? Sleep awhile...sweet dreams await."

In the back of his mind Danny thought that the voice was wrong. That the whole situation was...wrong. But he ignored it, after all, what harm could a little sleep do? And he began to drift off. He was so close to that realm of dreams, his body growing numb and immobile...when he was shocked out of his drowsiness by the sharp sound of his doorbell ringing and a familiar accented voice chiming in his head. "The ticking clock rings like warning."

He jolted awake and jumped from his chair, gasping and panting. Feeling as if he'd just been pulled from the depths of a frozen pond. His body shuddered and shook and cold sweat rolled from his brow. He felt like he was going to be sick. But with another ring of his doorbell Danny shook off the feeling and trotted down his stairs. He came to the door on the third ring and opened the door with urgency, smiling because he was expecting to see his friend and investor.

Instead Danny was met with a person he had not seen in quite some time. He stared blatantly for a good minute, confused at first by what he was seeing. Before finally he shook his head in surprise and stepped back from the door. "Britt?" Danny asked, staring at the sight of a grinning, petite, blue-eyed, red headed woman standing on his doorstep.

The singer nodded and shifted her feet as she looked up at the dark-haired halfa. "Hey Danny. Long time no see. Do you mind if I come in?" she asked him her grin settling into a sheepish smile. Danny stared for a moment and then looked beyond the red-head to the snow-lined streets behind her before nodding absently and muttering some non-commital answer before he stepped to the side and allowed her entry. She shut the door behind her since Danny was already retreating to the kitchen to pour a couple cups of coffee.

His body running on auto-pilot Danny tried to put his thoughts in order. First and foremost he simply could not seem to remember what he'd been doing before Britt came and rang his doorbell. Had he been sleeping? Strange...he never slept at his desk if he could help it no matter how little sleep he'd had. No, he must've just dozed off for a second. More important was the appearance of the lesbian rock singer in his house. For the life of him Danny simply could not understand why Vlad's god-daughter would come to see him.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he never heard Britt enter the kitchen until he felt her hand on his arm. He jumped, and spilled the coffee in his hands. Thankfully his spill restrained itself to the kitchen counter and not to his clothes, or worse, his skin. She stepped back from him as he swore and reached for the roll of paper towels sitting on the rack below one of his cabinets. As he began to mop up the coffee on his counter he could feel her eyes boring into the back of his skull.

He attempted to ignore the feeling, but after awhile it was clear that that was going to be impossible. So he let out a sigh and at last turned to see her staring at him with a look filled with both sympathy and understanding. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and drew him away from the counter while she took to finishing what he had started. "Not sleeping much are you?" she speculated, her slight irish tilt more noticeable now than it had been months before. Back when she'd been skinny, haunted, and worn down by the sadistic haunting of her suicidal friend and secret crush.

Danny took in a deep breath and leaned against the side of the counter clean of coffee and crossed his arms across his chest. "No...I'm not." he admitted. She nodded, as if she already knew and finished wiping up the rest of the spilled coffee. "Sorry about dropping by so suddenly...I know you were expecting Uncle Vlad."

Danny frowned to himself, disappointed in his own behavior. He looked up at her, apology already tripping out of his mouth. "No! I mean, I am...but I don't mind that you stopped by." She threw away the dirtied paper towels before turned a small and rather bemused smile in his direction. "It's alright." she said, tucking her hands into the pockets of her jeans. "I know you were disappointed when it was me at the door and not him. You're particularly easy ta read ya know." Danny's cheeks turned a slight shade of pink in embarrassment before he quickly shook his head and leveled Britt with a serious stare.

"So why did you stop by Britt? I mean, I didn't even know you knew where I lived." He watched as her small smile fell into something of a thin line and she looked away from him, to the mess of newspaper, bills, and half-read magazines piled over his kitchen table. She pushed some of the papers aside and stared at an article about the newest big movie to come out before at last she turned to look at him again, her blue eyes a bit worried.

"I guess it's stupid," She told him quietly,"You'd think I'd know by now to stop worrying 'bout these sorts of things. But...I guess I was wonderin' if...if you could tell me if my new beau is cursed."

Danny blinked in surprise. He wasn't quite sure how to react to this news. So he fell into routine and pulled out a seat at his table, gesturing for her to make herself comfortable if she needed to. "You're seeing someone?" he asked, his lips twitching up in a smirk despite himself. She shot him a look back, a wry and sarcastic grin moving to frame her face. "Yeah. And me brother hates him. Says he's the worst kind of loser and I was better off with the murderous, bitch ghost that tried to off me."

Danny chuckled briefly until something registered with him and his expression turned purely curious, if slightly confused. "Wait...him? You're dating a guy? So...and I'm sorry if this sounds rude...are you bisexual?"

She laughed loudly, her tone richer and much nicer than when Danny had last seen her. She shook her head and took a seat across from him, folding her hands on the table before her. "Well ta be honest I don't particularly care 'bout my partners gender ...or lack of one for that matter. M'pretty sure they're calling it Pansexual now...but who the fuck can keep track right?" She laughed again at the look on Danny's face. "Yeah...I get that a lot." she sounded pleased.

Danny's smile became awkward as he studied the enigmatic woman before him. "So what makes you think your boyfriend is cursed?"

Her face twisted through a series of emotions. First concentration, then frustration, and then resignation before she finally sighed and gave a large shrug of her shoulders. "Odd things mostly. Lights going out fer no reason. Things fallin' off shelves when he walks by. Once, the microwave exploded after he passed by it. Just...odd things." She didn't sound too concerned, but she bit her lip anyway and stared at her hands instead of the halfa sitting across from her.

Danny's lips twitched slightly, unsure whether to smile in understanding or frown in concern. He opted for the smile, it had been awhile since he'd had an excuse to do so. "If you're worried about it then bring him by sometime. If he really is cursed I should be able to tell."

Britt smiled awkwardly in return. "Thanks. I'd appreciate it." she stared at him for a moment and then stared sadly down at her hands. "Jazz told me about the incident at the Mental Institution. I don't know if it means anything but...I'm sorry you had to go through that. And...I owe you a lot. So...if you need anything..just...just let me know alright? I may not be able to offer much, and I'm a mess myself most of the time." She stopped for a moment, scratched at her hair behind her ear and then leveled the private investigator with a serious and almost desperate stare. "But you're the one who taught me that it's better to talk about the things in your life that have gone to shit."

Danny was taken aback and he forced himself to seriously consider the woman sitting across from him. She was determined, serious, and a little stubborn...a lot like her godfather. The half-ghost smiled warmly at her and tiredly nodded his head. "Thanks Britt. I...I think I'll take you up on that sometime."

...

Britt stayed for awhile afterwards and she and Danny shared a comfortable conversation about her new album and her new boyfriend. And then, when the conversation dipped into Danny's everyday doings, he received a phone call. It was Vlad, irritated and swearing about a last minute meeting with his stock-holders. From the sound of it, things weren't going as well as Vlad would have liked. Still the billionaire apologized for having to put off their plans and reassured the detective that he'd come by later that night. Danny assured him that he'd taken no offense, despite his disappointment, and was rather embarrassed when he caught Britt shooting him a rather wicked smirk over the rim of the coffee cup she'd been nursing.

The detective had blushed furiously afterwards and bid Vlad goodbye rather quickly in order to cover the nervous tone in his voice. Britt stood as soon as Danny hung up and took her own farewells of the detective. She smiled and chuckled and patted him on the arm and told him she'd be back later the week with her boyfriend for a 'consultation'. And then she was gone as suddenly as she had come.

The detective sighed as he closed the door behind his surprise visitor and found he was rather remise to be without company. The exhaustion from earlier washed over him as he forced himself to trudge upstairs. He'd only gotten halfway to his office however when he felt as if he could no longer move another step. And it was to his good fortune that he had come to a halt outside of his bedroom. With a deep breath of longing the detective turned in to his room and forced his tired, dragging, feet to pull him to his bed. He fell back on the large king-sized bed and had barely managed to drag himself up to lay his head upon his pillow when he felt his eyes beg to close.

Warmth washed over him and from somewhere in the dark the detective swore he heard someone whisper to him as his body took over the numbness and lethargy of sleep. "That's it detective...sleep it all away...You need a well-earned rest. The world will go on without you...sleep."

Danny drifted off.

...

In an instant Danny felt himself being pulled from the grips of beautiful dreamless sleep as if being pulled from the womb. He gasped as air ached in his lungs. He chocked and then drank in the strange stale air around him like a glass of water. A glass of water that had been standing out for too long. The brunette became aware of the sound of a thousand clocks ticking all around him. Fear gripped him. The dream. It must be the dream. He braced himself for the horror of violent hands and the cacophony of terrified voices. But neither came. Instead all that happened was the gentle ticking all around him and the feel of the cold floor beneath him slowly seeping in through his clothes.

The detective calmed himself and forced himself to look around. The smell of dust accosted him...the smell like time itself, and another smell, one he faintly recognized as metal and sun-streaked sand gently wafted after. The room he stood in was large, built like a cathedral, with towering ceilings and large, round, windows in the shape of gears showered him in an odd green light. Danny heard the cherished sound of wood beneath his feet as he took a step to the right and was pleasantly surprised to see the intricately carved hard wood underneath his feet. He was in awe of the building, but frightened because he was no longer sure he was in a dream. And because the building itself was much too familiar.

"Why...do I feel like I've been here before?" the detective muttered, reaching down to trace one line of a carving beneath his feet.

"Because you have been." A voice answered him, deep and fathomless.

Danny jumped and spun on his heel coming face to face with a ghost that struck fear into him instantly. Red eyes, blue skin, a cloak as deep purple as the sky at sunset stood before him. The half-ghost shuddered as his eyes shot to the staff in the ghost's hands, a clock at it's head like some sort of mystic crystal. But the ghost's face was all too familiar to Danny ...he'd been seeing it in his dreams for months.

A voice reached out to him from his memory and forced the hair on the back of his neck to stand on end. "The clock rings like warning."

The detective squared his shoulders when the ageless ghost did nothing but continue to stare at him with as much emotion as a statue. Danny stared back in wonder as the face beneath the hood shifted before his eyes into the face of a decrepit old man. "I've...been here before? When?" The half-ghost ventured.

The other rose his head and seemed to gauge his response, as if unsure if Danny could handle what was about to be told to him...the detective wasn't sure he could.

"You have visited this place many times...in your dreams." the ghost told him at last, his expression nearly...apologetic. Somewhere in the darkness another voice laughed, it trickled and rolled and echoed. "Dreams! Dreams! Dark Dreams!" That voice, too, was familiar to Danny, though he was afraid to place where he had heard it before.

"How do you know that?"

The ghost chuckled and once more the face shifted, this time adopting the form of a babe just out of the womb. "Because I know everything." And then the ghost paused and leaned upon it's staff as if weary and frowned. "And because you needed to be warned. I'm afraid that is why I sent Nocturne to you. I needed you asleep detective. My warning needed to be heard."

"Warned? About what?" Danny asked, desperately, aware now of why he'd been hearing things all day...and why he'd fallen asleep so easily. But more than that he was desperate because he could feel the grip of his reoccurring nightmare clawing at the edges of his perception.

"About what is to come. You...you need to be prepared...because it is not within my power to stop it. Not any more...I fear I may have waited too long. " The ghost sighed regretfully and raised up a mournful glance as once more the ageless face caught in maturity formed. "I am sorry Danny. "

Danny wanted to ask the ghost more but could not as a pair of ghostly blue hands wrapped themselves around his neck. The building that smelled of time faded around him and instead the half-ghost was met with a great vastness alight only by faint green lights that formed a timeless atmosphere and eerie backdrop to the leering face that had appeared before his eyes. The brunette gagged and glared and raised a hand to shoot his attacker in the face, but his hand was only batted away. Deep laughter crashed upon him like a wave. "Wanted to warn you! Isn't that just a perfect little picture!"

Danny gagged and pried the hands from his neck with what little strength he had. "Why don't you ever shut up?" the P.I. spat out breathlessly the wrists he held freezing over. He kicked his attacker in the chest and forced himself away but found himself lost in the void, the sound of a thousand different voices rising up from the shadows around him.

The half-ghost covered his ears in an attempt to block out the deafening sound and gritted his teeth against the assault. His eyes scanned for an escape, and instead met evil red eyes and a grin fill with teeth much too sharp to be human. His pursuer...the ghost he recognized from the museum...the bastard who haunted his nightmares...struck him hard across the face and sent him spinning. His vision swam and the detective found it nearly impossible to recover as his attacker grabbed him by the arm and wrenched open his shirt.

Danny screamed as those pointed teeth sank into the flesh around his neck and then howled in anger and he trashed against the man holding him down. Laughter met him, both his attackers and the laughter of another's that was high and crazed. Danny's eyes shot wide as a pair of pale hands came and encircled the neck of his attacker and even as the detective rolled away he stared in awe as a wispy image of Alexis defended him.

Danny wanted to cry out to the strange image of the boy but found himself being drawn up and away from the image before him by a pair of strong hands wrapped around his waist...dragging him up and out of his dream.

...

He awoke thrashing and screaming the terror of the incident so clear in his mind, the pain in his shoulder all too real. Only to find himself in his own bed surrounded by the dark and a pair of strong arms clad in white. Danny shuddered and stilled instantly his ghost form immediately taking over. He fazed out of the arms holding him and scrambled away like a frantic bird from the jaws of a cat. He stared in wide-eyed horror at the pale blue ghost sitting upon his bed staring at him worriedly. Danny stared openly, instantly recognizing the strange dracula-esque ghost, this ghost had helped him once. "You!" Danny breathed, nearly panicked at the horrified inclination of his voice.

The ghost nodded slowly, the worried expression deepening. "Good you-" the ghost climbed across the bed.

"Stay away from me!" Danny hissed, taking a step back his eyes flashing dangerously bright green as his hands flared with ecto-plasmic energy. "What are you doing here?"

The ghost stood, his expression hurt, his black hair absorbing what little light filtered in from the silver of moon outside Danny's window. "I heard you screaming."

Danny faltered, his energy fading, his hands unclenching. He stood normally once more and gazed up at the ghost with less suspicion than before...remembering the arms that had pulled him from his nightmare. "Why-?" Danny began.

But he never finished for the ghost stalked up to him and grabbed him round the waist and brought his lips crashing down upon the detective's own. Danny squirmed and weakly fought against the sudden kiss but found himself warming to the gentle way the ghost's lips moved against his own. The ghost pulled away just as Danny began to respond positively and leaned his forehead against the P.I.'s, red eyes boring into green. "Does there need to be a reason?"

Danny felt his gut clench and his resolve withered as he felt the vampire ghost's gentle hands hold him still. A familiar warmth washed over him...as if urging him to say no and just give in.

But Danny had had enough giving in for one night. "Yes..." he uttered slowly, regretfully. "There does."

The ghost chuckled and sighed and drew away from Danny, the warmth receding. "Always the constant detective aren't you?"

Danny was unsure how to respond to the comment so he simply held his ground and formed his opinion in the shape of an unhappy line upon his lips. The ghost smirked at his expression and rubbed a thumb over Danny's protesting lips. "Some other time then Investigator." the ghost told him ...before vanishing before his eyes.

Danny let his legs collapse from under him and placed a hand to the spot on his neck where he'd been bitten in his dream. He drew his hand away and stared in horror at the blood he found there.

...

Neross: Alright guys I'm terribly sorry about the wait. Mass Effect got the better of me...um...also...*blush* Real life sort of threw me a curve ball by way of a love interest of my own. Anyway my dear ones I hope you enjoyed this last chapter...I know it wasn't quite as long as the past few have been but don't worry...that's only because we're getting down the wire pretty soon here. The appex of the mystery and the conclusion of the story. *sniff* I'm tearing up at the thought.

Well, until next time my sick little darlings, stay tuned for more of my sweet torture won't you?


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